Reverse of Rebirth
by Phantom High
Summary: Retelling of P3. The only difference is that Minato is the overprotective brother of 10 year old Hamuko. Sometimes he doesn't evn know what he is doing or how he got here. Contains elements from Heavy Rain. Rated T for some insane stuff.
1. Chapter 1

**Episode 1: Arrival**

**'Attention passengers. We have now arrived at Iwatodai Station. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused by the delay. The next stop is Iwatodai. I repeat, the next stop is Iwatodai.'**

11:01 pm

4/7/09

By that time most of the passengers of this train had already left. Rarely does this train drop off passengers as this is the last stop and it's very late. But tonight is very different…for the last two passengers are brother and sister.

One could easily tell who is the older one and the younger sibling based solely on height. The boy with dark blue hair, eyes as the color of raining clouds, and wearing a black school uniform is holding a little brunette girl wearing a pink sweater, with a cheerful smile, and vivid red eyes.

The older boy, who looks around to be in high school, checks his map to reach Iwatodai Dorm. Unknown to everyone the boy is having a hard time staying awake. He repeatedly shakes off the need to sleep until…

"Aniki, are you all right?" asked the elementary school girl with a concerned expression.

"…Huh... Oh, yeah, I'm fine Hamuko. Come on lets go to the dorms." He gently leads Hamuko through the station although he occasionally missed his footing. Throughout this walk the boy continuously rubs his forehead as if to reduce the pain. He pulls out an mp3 player and starts listening to Velonica by Aquez. He checks the time on his watch that looks like a skull with the hands being scythes.

3…

2…

1…

…_Midnight._ The moment the two scythes aligned to the twelve all the lights go out, the mp3 becomes mute, there's now a now a green light of some sorts, and coffins are strewn all over the place. Anybody seeing this, especially on their first time, will scream in terror or be frightened. The teenager was no exception…but for a different reason. His hands trembled as he feels his bag for…

(YES! It's still there! Now if any of those shadows come, I'll be ready!) He holds onto Hamuko's hand and starts leading the way to the dorms. Now ANYBODY who had prior knowledge of this hour will still be scared to death for what lurks in the shadows. Yet the boy couldn't care less for his own safety. An hour passes by until they see a semi-rundown building with…_lights working!_ The two of them enter into to their new dorms.

Inside seems to be the living quarters with a couch, chair, and even a TV. To the left is a reception counter with the lamb on.

"You're late." Said the voice of a child. The tired teen looks to the reception counter to see a boy who can't possibly be any older than Hamuko, with the strange blue eyes, and his creepy smile. But the most prominent feature is the clothes he is wearing…for they are the black and white striped ones…the kind prisoners wear. "I've been waiting long time for you." He suddenly appears in front of the siblings and points to a document of sorts. "If you want to proceed…" The document opens itself up with a fountain pen on top "Then all you have to do is sign this contract."

"…A contract? Please tell me I won't sign my life away." He chuckled at the last bit of his statement.

"Don't worry. All it says is that you'll accept full responsibility for your actions. You know, the usual stuff…" said the boy who was oblivious to the last statement. The teen sighs and writes his last and first name.

**Last Name:**_** Arisato**_** First Name:**_** Minato**_

The weird boy picks up the contract and smiles…

"Wait a sec…does my imoto-chan have to sign this? Granted that she isn't even in middle school yet, but does she has to sign one as well?" asked Minato Arisato.

"In time, yes…" He holds up the document and turns it around only to make it disappeared. He then says "No one can escape time. It delivers us all to the same end. You can't plug your ears and cover your eyes." The lights turn off causing the little girl to be startled making her clutch on to Minato more tightly. "And so it begins."

The boy fades away into the shadows. It seems to last forever until the siblings let go of their luggage making a loud noise. They pause for several seconds until somebody shouts "Who's there?" The owner's voice quickly comes down with footsteps getting louder. Minato steps in front of Hamuko, contracts his right arm, and is in a starting position. Finally, the owner's voice comes down.

The figure is a brunette girl around Minato's age, wearing a pink sweater over her school uniform, and a red armband. Strapped on to her thigh is a gun holster which means…aw, crap!

Without even thinking, Minato rushes to the gunner and tries to knock it off from her hands. The girl hesitates and before she knows it, she feels a numbing sensation on her wrist then a clank sound. The girl looks in terror when she realized she lost her gun and tries to grabs it, but Minato grips onto her wrist tightly.

"Takeba, wait!" yelled another female's voice.

The brunette ceased to struggle when the voice spoke. The lights turn on as another student comes down. Her hair is red-violet and flows down to her shoulders, wearing a prim blouse, and heels. By the look of things, she has to be a senior, at least judging by her height and other features. She's also wearing the same armband as the brunette.

"Well, I didn't think you would arrive so late My name is Mitsuru Kirijo. I'm one of the students that live here." Said the redhead

"Who are they?" asked the brunette

Minato blankly introduces himself "Name's Minato Arisato, age 16."

"I'm Hamuko and I just turned 10 last week!" chimed Hamuko excitedly

"Is it okay for them to be here?" whispered the brunette to Mitsuru

"We'll just have to see since Minato-san is a transfer student. He will eventually move into the boy's dorm." Said Mitsuru nonchalantly

"Oh so that explains a lot. No wonder it feels like Hamuko and I felt like we didn't belong…it's obviously an all-girl occult equipped with…stuff." He chose the last word carefully as he eyes on his little sister.

The two girls just stare at him strange until Minato says "Hey…I was only kidding…but seriously, do you really need to brandish…" he creates a 'L' with his index and thumb and turns it sideways.

"Well you know how it is these days." Replied Mitsuru "Besides it's not even real."

"Huh? What's not real?" asked Hamuko

"Um…it's nothing…by the way, my name is Yukari Takeba . Um…sorry that I tried…you know…but you really hurt my wrist." She rubs the said wrist with her left hand.

"I apologize for gripping your wrist too hard…but I don't apologize for knocking that out of your hand. Even if it's self-defense you can seriously injure somebody." Said Minato

"I do see your point…anyway you two should get some rest. Though to be honest, I wasn't expecting that you would bring your imoto-chan with you. Regardless I shall personally see that she'll enroll into an excellent school." Said Mitsuru "Takeba, can you escort both of them to their rooms?"

"Sure senpai."

The three of them head toward the end of the hallway on the second floor. "That's your room Arisato-kun. It's pretty easy to remember since it's at the end of the hallway. Also don't lose your room key or you'll never hear the end of it. Do you have any questions?"

Minato stares blankly at the door. Then he starts getting wobbly for a second, but regains his balance. But his eyes say that they are unfocused.

"…Um…hello…?"

Minato snaps back to earth and quickly said "Sorry about that. Just had a long day today; between almost missing our train, having to deal with a ton of people during rush hour, making sure I don't lose Hamuko, dealing with some punks, and signing a contract with some weird kid."

"Oh, I guess that can wear a person out." Acknowledged Yukari until she thinks about it "Wait, did you say contract? But we never had anything of the sort. You must be pretty tired."

"Ha ha, I guess I'm a little bit tired. Um…" Minato rubs his head while trying to stop himself from drifting to sleep. "Wait…Hamuko's…"

"Don't worry. I'm sure senpai won't mind letting Hamuko-chan sleep in her room since I'm pretty sure she feels bad for forgetting her." Yukari reassured Minato as she pats Hamuko's head "You don't mind not staying with your aniki tonight?"

"Ummm…"

"It's okay…you can take care of yourself, right?" asked Minato

"Yes! I'll be a good girl for Mitsuru-san and Yukari-san!" exclaimed Hamuko. She hugs Minato before saying good night and runs off upstairs.

Yukari just watched until she hands Minato the room key and says "Boy, she is so energetic, but she's a really nice girl…must be tough to be her brother."

"Heh, you have…no…clue…" said Minato as he says his good night to Yukari and goes onto his room. Inside is all the necessities…a bed, a desk, and a TV. He drops his luggage and sits down on his bed without even bothering to get dress for bed.

(Boy, talk about a long day…especially with that kid, that freaky contract, and Yukari…was that her name...pointing that gun to me. Even if it IS a fake, the…way she just…brandished that…gun…she had…no self-control…like a…serial…killer…)

Before Minato knew it, he suddenly blacked out.

** In the Velvet Room, Igor is sitting there as usual and is looking straight at you.**

** Igor: Welcome…to the disclaimer. As you already know my dear guests, The Observer doesn't own the Persona series. He doesn't even own the game. Surprisingly he doesn't even own a device called a Playstation 2. In fact, he is watching a thing called let's play from someone called Kowbrainz. Interesting enough, he is playing the game blind so as a result people will find it humorous. The Observer certainly does find it so. If you're reading this little story than it'll be much appreciated if you can drop your reviews in. Until we meet again.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Simple Days

The sun's light starts to penetrate through Minato's eyelid, and causes him to wake up. He yawns for a large air intake. He slowly opens his eyes a bit groggily, and looks around.

(Wait a minute…something is not right…) thought Minato. Though what he doesn't realize was that he was sleeping in the hallway. Once he gets his senses back, Minato looks around and ask himself (What am I'm doing here? I remembered that I crashed into my bed last night, so I shouldn't be here. Unless…it was-) His thoughts are interrupted by another sound…the sound of a door opening.

Yukari opens her door dressed in her school uniform all confident until she sees Minato sitting down with a blanket. Silence reigned for a moment between the two of them until Yukari screams. Another door opens with Mitsuru coming to see what the commotion is about. She stares at Minato strangely and asks "May I ask what you are doing here? You may not know it, but it's against dorm rules for a male student to come to this floor."

Minato feels something cut into his stomach…which wasn't_ too_bad for him. Still he had a hard time recollecting his thoughts and answers "Do you really think I'll leave my imoto-chan to sleep with a bunch of people that I met just _last night?_"

"…You make a fair point." Mitsuru concedes "However, once you get to know me and Takeba better, you'll trust us with her."

(Well maybe you, but I have serious doubts about Yukari. I mean, she could possibly be a future serial killer. Granted that there's less than 1% of that ever happening, but is STILL exists.) Thought Minato

"Anyway you should get going to school now." Said Mitsuru

(…W-What? But all I have is a map and it doesn't say where Geukkokan High School is…)

Apparently she could read minds because she says "I'll have Takeba escort you so you won't be late for class."

(You mean have a potential serial killer as my escort? Something tells me that they're out to kill me…wonder if they were planning to kidnap Hamuko and my transfer is their perfect excuse… Wait a sec…) He face palms himself at his stupidity and forgetfulness. "Ah, I still need to find a good school for imoto-chan and-"

"Don't worry," Mitsuru intervened "I was neglectful to include your imoto-chan. To make amends for this I'll personally see to it that she enrolls into a good school."

The last statement caught Minato totally off guard and asks "But won't you miss class today?" in a worrisome tone.

Mitsuru smiles a little and her reply is "It IS a small price to pay, but I shall be responsible into seeing she gets an excellent education." Right on cue, Hamuko comes out from Mitsuru's room while rubbing her eyes. She looks up to see her aniki and quickly hugs him.

"Good morning! Are you going to school today?"

"Yeah, I'm going." He lowers himself to Hamuko's height and said "Listen Mitsuru-san is going to try to find a nice school for you, so you don't mind spending the day with her?"

"Of course I'll go with Mitsuru-san. I won't bother her too much!" replied Hamuko

"Promise?"

"Promise!" They use a pinky swear to seal the deal.

"See you after school Hamuko." Said Minato

Yukari leads him to a train station where they eat some breakfast bentos. A thought suddenly emerges in Minato's head…that he is hanging out with Yukari!

And he doesn't like that one bit!

Thankfully, the train arrives saying their next stop is Geukkokan High School. He takes a spot with a wide window AND has very few people. He thanks whatever higher power there was out there since trains are normally crowded. The train travels at approximately 60 km per hour, so Geukkokan is a 10 minute ride by train. Yukari talks about a lot of things to Minato, but doesn't really pay attention…or at least half-listening. See he put on one of his headphones onto the side that is covered by his hair, so he is listening to some Midnight Maximum Tune music with Yukari none the wiser.

Yukari suddenly says "Oh look, we're here.."

Minato looks up to see his new school…which is unlike any other.

For this school is on a private island. I mean, this is an island school.

They got off from the train and walk down the hill until they reach the school gate.

"Welcome to Geukkokan High. Hope you like it. " Said Yukari

(Wow that has to be the most original line ever…NOT! Still this is a pretty nice school…even though it's supposed to be on par with a private academy.) Minato follows Yukari to the front entrance. Yukari said something about Faculty's office and about the end of this tour. (Tour? All you did was just show me to the front entrance! I didn't even get a map for goodness sake!) He notices a lot of kids are looking over at the bulletin boards. Minato walks to the bulletins and tries to find his name…nothing. He tries it again, but still nothing. He rubs his forehead and gives it one last time…

Class 2-F: Arisato Minato

Finally some good news, Minato's next move is to go to the Faculty's office. There he sees a brunette teacher, possibly around in her early twenties, reading some documents, not noticing Minato.

"Hello?" spoke Minato

The teacher is surprised by his presence and looks at him. "Sorry, I didn't notice you." She apologized "You must be the new transfer student, Arisato Minato, correct?"

Minato nods his head as a reply.

"Ah, I see…let me take a look at your profile." The teacher starts to scan through Minato's files and states "'in 1999'…what was it? 10 years ago…? 'Your parents-'" she gasped before finishing what she was about to say. "I'm sorry…I was so busy that I didn't get to read this."

"…Huh? Oh, it's alright…I think."

"Yes, I suppose so." she then introduces herself "My name is Ms. Toriumi, your homeroom teacher. I teach Composition. Sorry about the hassle, but we have a morning assembly, so just head towards the auditorium." She gives Minato a school map and decides to have a quick glance at the files before the assembly.

**At the age of 10, Arisato was an employee for a delivery company. He consistently delivers the package in record time until he was laid off for lying about his age. No known reason as to why take a job in the first place, nor was his employer willing to tell the interviewer.**

** Arisato joined a yakuza leader known as Silver Jinn as a bodyguard at age 12-**Toriumi decides to read the rest later.

(God, who knew the principal, can drag a speech for SO long?) Thought Minato while listening through that long speech. (Perhaps if I close my eyes and wake up in, say 5 minutes, nobody will notice…) With a plan that sounds that good in his head, there is no way it can fail.

"Hey aren't you the guy who came to school with Yukari?" whispered a student who is trying to get Minato's attention. Minato can only groan under his breath as he eyes on the student. "So do you know if she has a boyfriend?"

Minato figures his only option to get rid of that idiot is to answer. "I don't know and I don't care." was his response.

"Huh? …Really?"

"The rest of the assembly continues when the principal says someone is talking and Toriumi warns her class to be quiet.

Surprisingly, Minato managed to get through the first day of school without THAT happening. He still feels a little drained and sits a bit longer.

"Sup dude?" Minato turns around to see another student beside him. He is wearing his uniform unbuttoned, a goatee growing on his chin, but overall seems pretty friendly. "How it's going?"

"Um…cool, I guess…who're you?"

"Me? I'm IoriJunpei. I transferred here since the 8th grade, so I know what it's like to be the new kid around here. So I wanted to say…'hey'." Introduced Junpei

"It's nice to meet you Junpei .The name is Arisato Minato." said Minato

"Right back at cha...dude."

Yukari comes over to Minato's desk since he was a couple of minutes late. She sighs when she sees both him and Junpei chatting about stuff. Her sigh is what catch both boys' attention.

"Hey, it's Yuka-tan." said Junpei. He starts to rub his left forearm.

"At it again? I swear you'll talk to anyone that'll listen. Did you ever think you might be bothering someone?" Her last statement caused a faint trace of…dislike…in Minato.

(Well did it ever occurred to you that YOU'RE bothering me? I mean, Junpei is a really nice guy.) Thought Minato

"What? But I was just being friendly." Said Junpei, and taking that somewhat offensively. He continues to rub the same forearm, only more vigorously, but only slightly more.

Yukari doesn't seem to get it and says "If you say so." She directs her attention to Minato "Looks like we're in the same class, huh?"

(…What?) it took a moment for Minato to process the information until…(Shit, she's right! I only caught a glance before it happened.) He puts his head down in surrender and said "Yeah…just my luck."

"Hello, aren't you forgetting that I'm in this class too?" asked Junpei who is feeling left out "By the way, I heard you two came to school together this morning. What's up with that? Come on, give me the dirt!"

Yukari seems upset "W-what are you talking about? We live in the same dorm. There's nothing going on!" Yukari ranted and mumbles "Now you got me worried." She turns to Minato and whispers "Hey…you didn't say anything about…you-know-what, did you?"

"Care to clarify because I have no idea what you're talking about." was Minato's response.

Yukari doesn't know if Minato was either joking or being serious. "Seriously, don't say anything about last night, okay?" Minato just slams his head into the desk cause he KNOWS somebody is going to take it the wrong way. And that somebody is Junpei.

"L-last night?" Yikes! He is getting bug eyed.

"Just so you know Yukari, you're on your own." piped in Minato.

Yukari panics a little and said "Wait a minute! Don't get the wrong idea! I only met him yesterday! There is absolutely nothing going on between us." She turns around for the door and says "Geez. I've gotta go. I got something to do for the archery team. And you two better not start any rumors." She is glaring to Minato a bit more than to Junpei and leaves.

For some apparent reason, Minato felt something inside of fainted. He looks up to see only Junpei. "Geez, who cares? Nobody takes rumors seriously. She is just so paranoid." He stops rubbing his arm and smiles saying, "Oh man, this is going to be a fun year. I can feel it."

"Sure, whatever."

They both leave for home after making a quick detour at Paulownia Mall. Minato got some Alert Mocca and Junpei got a 1-Up soda. They said their goodbyes around 4:15. Before he even gets to the subway, Minato realizes he already drank all his coffee and starts feeling light headed. His vision becomes hazy and starts staggering to the dorm. Somehow he manages to get to the dorm without triggering IT. He opens the door only to be ambushed by Hamuko by a hug.

"Welcome back aniki!" exclaimed Hamuko excitingly.

"Hey Hamuko, how was your day?" asked Minato with a natural smile.

"It was great! Mitsuru-san found a really good school this afternoon and got me there!" she explained with so much energy.

"That's good." Minato looks up to see Mitsuru reading a novel "Hey I'm really sorry that you missed class today."

Mitsuru puts her book down and says "It's quite alright. It's my responsibility anyway." She let a small yawn behind her novel. "However, I didn't expect your imoto-chan to be so…energetic."

"Ha ha, I thought its common for kids to be energetic." Laughed Minato until he gets wobbly

"Huh? Aniki, are you alright?" asked Hamuko worryingly "Do you need something to drink?"

"Nah, I'm fine. I'm just going to bed early okay? Now don't stay up too late, okay?"

"Okay!" Hamuko nodded as a confirmation.

Minato feels like the stairs got higher and the hallways got farther…no it's just his imagination. Fortunately and unfortunately, his room is at the end of the hallway. He feels like he is going to faint when he reaches for the door. He rummages through his right pocket only to feel some change. His other pocket has the key. He unlocks the door, changes his clothes, and blacks out.

Hamuko, keeping her promise, is going to Mitsuru's room again sinceshe still doesn't have a room yet. Along the way she bumps into a young man with silver hair and a red vest. The young man is startled by Hamuko and quickly looks down.

"Ah, I'm so sorry! I didn't see you!" apologize Hamuko quickly

"Hey…um…kid…I'm so-"the young man didn't get to finish his apology because Hamuko quickly scurries away. The man looks dumbfounded.

"I'm going out a bit." Said the same confident man to Mitsuru. "Didn't you see the newspapers? There's a lot going on."

"…I know. People who had no problems before are suddenly developing acute cases of Apathy Syndrome." Replied Mitsuru "They say the cause is due to stress, but…"

The man snorted at the idea "Yeah, right. It has to be THEM. Otherwise, it's not worth my time…"

Mitsuru simply respond by saying "You have a one-track mind…Will you be okay on your own? The Chairman will be here for the next few days, but after that, I can…"

"Don't worry." The confident man suddenly remembers something "By the way, I didn't know you have a little sister."

"Hm?" Mitsuru looks at him curiously.

"I saw a little girl with red hair going to your room. I didn't know you had other family."

Mitsuru understood what the man is talking about. "Akihiko, the 'little girl' you met was Arisato Hamuko, the younger sibling of Arisato Minato." She explained to Akihiko and chuckles a little bit "Though, I can see why you would think that."

"Hey…it's not funny." Said Akihiko "I'm going to get some practice."

"Just don't get hurt Akihiko…this isn't a game."

**Elizabeth is walking through the streets with the compendium. She turns her eyes to nothing particular.**

**Elizabeth: Welcome to the disclaimer. My job is to inform you that the Observer 00 doesn't own the Persona series, a Playstation 2, or a license to gather information through illegal methods. He apologizes for the lack of progress and guarantees that we will reach the first Full Moon event next chapter. If you have any questions than, please, leave it on the comment section of the review. Also it came to this attention that he requires a beta-reader as to ensure maximum results. If you're interested than message him. He also feels like this isn't really anything special and feels like anybody can do this better. However he is going to make sure he finishes this all the way through. It doesn't matter how busy he'll get. Until we meet again…I'll look forward to seeing you again. **

** Now I just have to find Theodore. Hmm…I'm wondering if he is in the Observer's other fic ****Persona: Between Light and Shadows?**


	3. Chapter 3 Simple

Chapter 3

** Author's notes: Well school is back…which means more time to write! Huh…? You're confused? Well let me explain…the school's library is equipped with some computers. During free time, I will go to the library to write. You see, I have my fic in a USB flashdrive for school work. So yeah…I use my school to my advantage. To other authors, I suggest you do the same if you have access to your school's computer. If your home is in reasonable walking distance, than do it. If not, than do it during a free period.**

** Well, for those who wonder where I got the idea of making Hamuko a kid…I actually had the idea for awhile. Since the end of my freshman year (close to the year). I like to write when I have free time and one of my stories that'll never be finish (except this one) was based on the Persona game, but with different characters. Idea were the same: Personae, Dark Hour, Igor, and the like. Like this fic, it has an older brother and a kid sister. Once I realized that I'm just rehashing the story, I quit. Then, I decided to do this for fun (and also as side job while I write Between Light and Shadows.) As for how I got the idea for a kid sister…when I saw the picture of FeMc, I thought of a little sister and …here we are. But now you're getting tired of me bantering on, so read before you lose concentration.**

"It's Utsobo Kubota." Whispered Minato to Junpei for Ms. Toriumi asked the unlucky Junpei what is her favorite author. Needless to say, he wasn't paying attention and asked Minato for help. Now Minato doesn't consider this as cheating. His definition of cheating is to cut for one's benefit. So as long as he is helping somebody else, then he has no qualms. He WILL never cheat…after all; he is supposed to be Hamuko's role model.

After class, Junpei gave him a pat on his shoulder and promises to treat him after school. "Ah, I can't. I have to pick up Hamuko after school." Said Minato

"Hamuko? Who's she? Your girlfriend?" asked Junpei for this was the first time he heard her name.

"What? NO? She's my imoto-chan!" snapped Minato very quickly.

"Whoa! S-Sorry! I just didn't have any idea that you have a sister." Apologized Junpei "Anyway, you have any idea where or what that school is?"

"Um…" Minato pulls out a slip of paper from his pockets and reads "Uchiha Elementary School: Near the Naginagi Shrine." He stops for a second and yells "Crap! I have no idea where this Naginagi Shrine is. I can understand Yukari's intention, but she should've at least written the address down."

Naginagi? Oh, I know where that is!" exclaimed Junpei "I can take you there if you want."

"Sweet, I could really-"Minato stops for a moment and thinks about it (Wait a minute…if I bring Junpei along then there's no telling what kind of influence he'll be to Hamuko. I'm afraid some of his bad traits might rub off to Hamuko.) He glances back to the happy Junpei (But if I don't bring him, he'll think I'm a jerk or that I don't trust him.) Minato lets out a loud yawn and concludes (Ah, what the hell? I'm sure she's smart enough to know which is good and bad traits from Junpei.) Minato nods his head and Junpei lets out a cheer.

Surprisingly, the Naginagi Shrine is close to the dorm, so it will certainly make things more convenient. Even better, Uchiha Elementary is just 2, maybe 3, blocks away from here. All in all, it is pleasant walk for the duo. Right on time, the school bell just rung and…holy crap…there's a dorm there. Maybe it's for the elementary students?

"Aniki!" exclaimed an energetic voice through the crowds. A hand is waving through the numerous students as a marker. Getting through the crowd isn't easy…is an understatement. All the children want to go somewhere like home to watch their favorite show.

"Ow ow ow ow OW!" screamed Junpei in pain while staying close to Minato for he doesn't want to get trample by school kids…at least, not by himself.

After the worst of it was over, they come to Hamuko and shrug off the situation as if nothing happen. Too bad they made Hamuko worried.

"Aniki, do you need to see a nurse?" she asked quickly.

"Nah, I'm totally fine." Minato groaned a little bit, under his breath. He really doesn't want to worry his kid sister any further. Junpei is holding both of his arms and rubbing them vigorously. He stops rubbing them for a minute and waves his hand.

"Hiya." Was Junpei's greeting. Hamuko quickly hide behind her dear brother and not coming out to face him.

Minato chuckles a little bit and pats her head. "Don't worry about him. That's Iori Junpei, a friend of mine whom I met the other day. He's a little bit goofy, but he's a nice man."

After the reassuring from Minato, Hamuko quickly comes out and excitingly waves her hand. "Hi Junpei-san! I'm Hamuko, my brother's little sister! Sorry about that!"

Junpei chuckles at the little girl's sudden confidence and says "Nah I'm good. I know kids aren't supposed to talk to strangers. Although you don't have to call me 'Junpei-san'…makes me feel like an old man. You can call me 'Junpei-kun' if you want."

"Okay, Jun-kun!" replied Hamuko. Junpei is surprise by what Hauko called him. "Hey, aniki, can we go to that café? I want to try out their smoothies!"

"Sure. To be honest, I actually want to try out their special coffee." Minato turns around to Junpei "You want to come with us?"

Junpei is staring at Minato then to Hamuko and then to Minato again. He smiles and says "Sure, I'm cool with that."

"Great, so we have somebody to pay the bill." Chuckled Minato

"…Wait, what?"

"Come on aniki, let's go!" said Hamuko as she runs ahead. Minato and Junpei are standing there for a second until…

"Why do I have to pay the bill?" asked Junpei

"I figured that was the best way for helping you out today." Replied Minato

"Huh…I guess you're right…" acknowledged Junpei "Although…I wonder why your little sister called me 'Jun-kun.'"

"Don't worry…that just means she trusts you. She is actually a lot smarter than you think." Minato slaps Junpei's shoulder and said "So, how about we get our beverages?"

The three of them had a nice afternoon until they have to go home before curfew. They said their goodbyes and Minato and Hamuko head back to their dorm. Upon their arrival they see a middle aged man who introduced himself as Shuji Ikuski…or was it Ikustki? Anyway he welcomes Minato to the dorm and apologizes for not accounting Hamuko. Minato starts getting a headache and decides to turn in early. Again he forgot which pocket was holding his keys. Only this time, he missed the door knob entirely. He REALLY needs his rest…

Minato has the strangest dream…

He is zooming through a checkered tile floor until a blinding light engulfs his vision. At the other side is a very large and spacious room. Though, it's actually an elevator because of the vibrations and the movement. Over there are two people…one is a midget old man with a long nose and is mostly bald and the other is a girl, probably around Minato's age, wearing a blue uniform and have snow white hair.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room." The strange man said. "My name is Igor. I am delighted to make your acquaintance. This is my assistant, Elizabeth."

Minato is in disbelief. Not because he is a rather spacious elevator with two complete strangers (course that's part of it) but because he doesn't feel IT coming as if the pressure in his head is just…gone.

He really can't tell if that's a good or bad thing…

"Having trouble to find words to say?" asked Igor with those bulging eyes

"…Huh? S-Sorry about that…um…Igor." Minato apologized. "Um…where is this place again?"

Igor smiles sinisterly…but doesn't faze Minato the slightest. "This is the Velvet Room; a place that exists between reality and dream, mind and matter...it's been years since we have a guest."

"Really? Man, then you probably had been out of the job for quite some time." Minato replied honestly.

"Yes, for there was no need for…until now. For you shall require this to hone your unique abilities." Igor replied nonchalantly.

"I am sure you have many questions, but they will be answer." Said the assistant Elizabeth who has a voice that sounds like…um…just imagine poison honey and you'll get the idea. She directs her hand to Igor as to which Igor does a hand trick and…wait…isn't that the contract that Minato signed the other night?

"Only those who signed a contract of some sort can enter this place. Henceforth, you shall be a guest to the Velvet Room." Igor explained. For some reason, no matter how grotesque he looks, he seems to have the best intentions to helping Minato. "Here, take this."

Minato feels something in his right pocket…a key. "Oh man, I better not lose this."

"All we ask is that abide to your contract and assume responsibility for the choices you make." With that the whole room got darker…with Igor, barely audible, saying "…`til we meet again."

Minato wakes up with a headache and sweating profusely. He is still in his room and…huh? Why is he in his uniform? Yes, he was tired last night, but he was sure he putted on sleeping clothes.

(Oh man, I really hate it when that happens.) Minato thought as he heads for the early train.

Oat the school gate, Junpei sees Minato leaning against a wall and gives him a slap on the back. "What's up man?" he asked cheerfully.

Minato wasn't expecting Junpei and turns around "Junpei, could you please don't do that again? I don't feel well today."

"…Seriously?" asked Junpei

Minato lightens up and says "Nah, I'm just pulling your leg."

"Dude, don't scare me like that again." Said Junpei "But dude, the sky is blue, we're young…what more could we ask for?"

"Maybe a day off from school?" replied Minato

"Heh, I guess you're right. By the way, you'll never believe what happened…" said Junpei with a wide grin. The last statement causes Minato's ears to perk up and catches his attention from his music.

"Oh wait, I'm not supposed to tell anything."

"Figures."

School went smoothly and the duo is going to pick up Hamuko from school, but not without trying the arcade first. Minato had his doubts about going there without his little sister, but it turned out for the best. Some of the games are too…suggestive.

Once they are at the Naginagi area, they decide to hang out at the shrine until it the stampede clears. That was a smart move since it is still hectic as yesterday. After waiting it out, they see Hamuko beside a persimmon tree and waving to them. Hamuko beams a very warm smile, but loses it when she sees Junepi's pained expression.

"Jun-kun! Are you alright?" she asked worryingly.

"Ah, it's fine Hamu-chan. I…um…just hit my hand on my way out to school." He smiles sheepishly, but Minato doesn't buy it.

(He hurt his hand? Granted we only separate when I had to use the restroom, but he seemed fine. Maybe he has something in his mind?) Thought Minato

"Anyway, where do you want to go Hamu-chan? This time we make your niisan pay for the bill." Junpei suggested.

"…What? But I only have 4000 yen left!" complained Minato

"So? You can actually do a lot with 4000 yen." Junpei countered Minato's argument effortlessly. The results are…let say this was an anime and Minato had the kanji character for "defeat".

"Um…how about the arcade?" asked Hamuko, obviously not knowing what Minato and Junpei(whose eyes are wide opened in terror) know. They recover from their shock and quickly try to find an alternative.

"Uh…how about we take a walk?" Once again, Junpei suggested the idea .

"….Around Iwatodai Station." Minato added in quickly. Hamuko was a bit confused as to why both teenagers are nervous, until…

"Okay aniki!" she said happily. The two teens sigh for relief when she walks down the stairs.

In all honesty, Minato thought this station isn't such a bad place…when it's not midnight. They see the popular food-chain, Wild-Duck Burger (why it's called that when they don't even serve duck will always be a mystery for Minato), a bookstore called Bookworms (sadly for Hamuko, it's not open yet), Wakaitsu (a somewhat less popular food-chain) and a sweet shop. There Minato and Junpei learn how Hamuko knows about the arcade.

"So you heard your classmates talking about it?" Junpei asked even more wide eyed "And you don't mean the one in Paulownia Mall?

"Um…I'm not really sure. The boys were talking about a mall and to play. I asked my seatmate what they're talking about and he explained what I know. Kinda."

"That was nice of him." Minato commented "So do you know his name?"

"Um…I didn't ask yet." Admitted Hamuko

"Well…um…ah! I don't know what to say!" yelled Junpei.

"Ha ha, you're funny Jun-kun." She laughed along with Minato

"I admit, not knowing what to say is pretty funny, unless you're that person." Said Minato

"Come on, cut me some slack." Groaned Junpei "Sometimes I forget what I'm supposed to say." Just as he gets up, a young athlete in a blue track suit crashes into Junpei and both of them fall onto the ground. Junpei is putting some pressure over his cheek and looks at the athlete. "Dude watch where you're going."

"Ow…sorry…I'm kinda in a rush." Minato notices that the athlete drops some yen coins and points to the ground. The athlete looks down and picks it up quickly. He quickly apologizes again and runs off.

"Man, I wonder if he's late for work."Minato Mumbled. He notices Hamuko is picking up a couple of those coins. "Hamuko, what-"

"Oh aniki, that person missed some of his money. We should return it right away." She said

"Ngh…forget it Hamu-chan. By now, that guy is long gone by now."

"Ohhh…but what if he needs the money for something?" she asked worryingly

"Don't worry Hamuko. I'm sure we'll see him again. For now, we should keep it safe until then, okay?" suggested Minato

Hamuko thinks about and says "Okay." She sees the sun setting down and reminds Minato "Aniki, should we go back to the dorms?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, you're right "He turns and faces Junpei "Well see you tomorrow Junpei."

"Bye-bye Jun-kun!"

"Yeah, see you later you two." Junpei smiled a bit sadly and turns around and runs to home.

"…Jun-kun looked sad." Observed Hamuko

"I wonder why?" mumbled Minato and thinks about it for a second (Maybe he just doesn't want to be separate from friends? He did say he transferred here at 8th grade…) He comes back down to earth by Hamuko, who is tugging his arm.

"Come on! We don't want to make Mitsuru-san worry!"

"I guess you're right." Minato suddenly remembers something "Hey Hamuko, how about we hang out Jun-kun tomorrow since it'll be Sunday?"

"Okay! I want to see Jun-kun again." Hamuko said excitingly.

Little did those two will know that they won't be able to hang out with Junpei tomorrow…because of a full moon.

**A snowman is walking around along with a floating jack-o-lantern. They are trying to read this map, but with little success.**

** Jack Frost: Okay, we took a left turn at Carcino, but nowhere near to Eclipse.**

** Pyro Jack: Maybe we should've kept going straight at Rausten.**

** JF: But we would have ended up in Jehanna and the sun will kill me instantly.**

** PJ: Well…*suddenly looks up and realizes something* dude! We are supposed to do the disclaimer!**

** JF: Huh?*looks up and quickly scrambles for his flashcards* Ahem…hello! Welcome to the disclaimer. I'm your host Jack Frost and this is my slightly less handsome friend, Pyro Jack!**

** PJ: 'Slightly less handsome'?**

** JF: Anyway, the Observer 00 doesn't own the Persona series or the Jack Brothers! There, all done!**

** PJ: I don't think so! *Uses Agidyne to put Jack Frost in flames. Jack Frost does a stop, drop, and roll maneuver.* Anyway, the author wants to apologize for dragging on a little bit more. S/he had no idea that it'll go that long, but rest assure-*Gets hit by a block of ice***

** JF: Ahem…rests assure good folks that he'll do the full moon thing on the next chapter. Also s/he likes to give shout out to ****Dragon's Shadow and his Persona fic. To be honest, they hope they can do a crossover between these two fics…like a visit into an alternate universe! *Hat catches on fire…does another stop, drop, and roll.***

** PJ: Also folks, the Observer wants to test your understanding so far. Get it right and he'll set aside his already scarce time for a one-shot…just for you! Aren't you lucky? Here's the question…**

** …According to the summary, this fic will contain elements from Heavy Rain. What can be that trait? Think back to the last two chapters…something wasn't right. Hint: Re-read the end of chapter 1 and the beginning of chapter 2. It should be a piece of cake for you guys *JF and PJ fight like in Looney Tunes* until next time…**

** JF: …Stay Frosty!**

** PJ:…And stay hot!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Full Fool

**I'm sorry if I'm taking my time with this story everyone. Sometimes I can be swamped with work from my AP and Honors class. Sometimes I just don't have the energy to write. Regardless, I'll continue to work on this fiction and finish it…granted I don't break down first.*Gives off nervous laugh***

**AnimeCrazy88: I'm not sure if I misinterpreted your comment, but that guy who bumped into the group yesterday was Mamoru Hayases of the Star Arcana. Before you get disappointed, I WILL get Shinjiro and Hamuko to meet each other…it'll take awhile though. Also yeah it is dangerous, but it's even worse for Junpei…I'll cover it in future chapters.**

The time is 19:00. Minato is helping Hamuko with her homework…even though she refused many times.

"Aniki, are you sure you should be helping me? Don't you have to do your homework?" she asked for the 22th time.

"Don't worry. After all, nii-sans are supposed to help their imoto-chan. Besides…you don't want to end being dumb like me." Minato smiled at the last statement. Mitsuru comes by to check on the siblings.

"I trust everything is going well?" she asked

"Yeah, it sure is…" Minato suddenly feels like his forehead was hit by glass bottle combined with a splitting headache.

"Is something wrong? Do you require medical attention?" asked Mitsuru

"N-no…no, I'm fine…" he turns to Hamuko "Can you do the rest of you're the problems on your own?"

"Sure aniki. Are you going to bed?"

"…Yeah, I am." He gave Hamuko a good night kiss and heads to his room. By 21:00 Hamuko turns in for the night. Tonight she finally got her own room…which is right above Minato's room (in other words, at the end of the hallway at the 3rd floor).

Meanwhile, Minato is doing some late night studying…considered by most students. But for him, he can stay up. (Sengoku era…mud huts…algebra…) thought Minato as he looks at his skull watch (good thing I don't feel tired in the slightest. Then again…night work is where I shine. Good thing my co workers taught me how to stay up and be efficient with only 4-6 hours of sleep.) He stretches his back and gets up. He looks at his suitcase and his sack, and smirks. (I doubt I'll ever need to use it again, but it sure saved my skin…and help me protect Hamuko .)

Down in the control room, Mitsuru, Yukari, and Ikustki are observing Minato through the hidden cameras.

"Hmm…I wonder why he hasn't turned in yet. It's already late." Stated Mitsuru

"Now THIS is fascinating. Normally people will get tired by now and suffer from amnesia and disorientation. However, he is not exhibiting the usual symptoms." Said Ikustki "Quite frankly, he must be very strong."

23:00 Minato starts to turn in for the night…without changing his uniform out.

"…On second thought, he must be this tired if he didn't bother to change clothes." Ikustki corrected himself.

Finally…the time…is now…00:00…midnight.

All of a sudden Mitsuru is receiving a call from Akihiko. She answers it.

"Command room…is that you Akihiko?"

The transceiver is all static, yet you can hear the emotion in Akihiko's voice. "…not going to believe…don't have time…chasing me…I'm almost there."

Yukari panics and says "What? Are you saying he is bringing it HERE?"

"Mr. Chairman! Lets suspend our observation. We'll prepare for battle!"

"R-right…be careful."

Minato got up by all that shaking and the shouting. His instincts as the coffee guy from the police station tell him to get some sort of defense. He goes to his sack and pulls out…a sickle.

…Or at least the blade. He quickly pulls out 3 rods, each that is one-third of a meter and attaches to the blade. Just in time for Yukari to knock on the door.

"Hey, get up! We got to-"she got cut short when Minato opens the door with his sickle.

Now Minato's mind went momentarily blank because of Yukari. She still has that gun strapped to her thigh, but now she has a bow with a quiver full of arrows and a short sword. The only thing going on in Minato's mind was this…

(Oh. My. God. Don't tell me a psychopath is trying to break in? Is that why they are sending the potential psychopath in?And fully armed?) He thought t himself as they reach to the third floor. Minato suddenly stops and whispers "Hamuko…" He goes to the end of the hallway and realizes one thing.

He doesn't know where Hamuko's room is.

At that realization, his vision starts to get blurry and feels like he is about to faint. Fortunatley, Yukari figures out what Minato is trying to do and heads to Hamuko's room. Minato follows Yukari to the end of the hallway. His vision comes back to normal and knocks on his sister's door vigorously. "Hamuko!" was what he shouted.

The door opens slightly, just enough for Hamuko to take a peek. She opens it up all the way when she sees Minato. "Aniki…" Poor girl looks terrified…then again, I would be terrified if I heard loud scratching noises and some shakes, but-holy crap! That one is a big tremor.

"Come on, we got to go!" said Yukari. She leads the Arisato to the rooftop and locks the door behind her.

(What the hell?... Is she planning to fight the psychopath here?) Thought Minato nervously (Wait, I used to be the bodyguard of the Silver Jinn, so I should be able to protect Hamuko. Not to mention that Yukari is a potential psychopath, so she could-) his thoughts couldn't continue as they rush to the rooftop. Yukari locks the door behind them and looks around nervously. Hamuko is holding onto Minato very tightly.

The moon looks menacing, the sky is in eerie green, and the whole atmosphere is just plain murderous. What else can go wrong?

"…What?" Yukari is staring at the edge of the rooftop. At that moment, a pair of black hands…no wait, 3 pairs of ha- oh my god! Several pair of hands is creeping to the top of the rooftop. Some of these hands are equipped with stainless steel knives. Then the body comes…which is nothing more than a black blob with one hand holding up a blue mask. The body itself is nothing, but the mask seems to searching through the most inner depth of your soul…as if its hungry…for understanding…for emotion…and for your SOUL!

"These things…we called them 'Shadow'." Explained Yukari

(Good to know. I'll keep that in mind when I die!) Thought Minato. He sees Yukari pulls out the gun on her leg holster. (Perfect! When dealing with stuff like that, you always go for the gun fi-)

Yukari points the gun…squarely to the forehead.

(What is she doing? Wait; don't tell me…she's going to leave me and Hamuko to fend off against that thing? By committing suicide?) Minato grips onto his sickle tightly while keeping his little sister close to him.

Yukari is breathing very fast and seems to be struggling to kill herself. With each passing moment, the Shadow comes in closer and closer. The Shadow stop for a moment and flames start appearing on the tip of the knives.

Just as Yukari is about to pull the trigger she got hit by a large fireball right into the chest. She got thrown aside and her gun slides all the way to Minato's feet. But he doesn't notice it at all.

He is deathly scared.

(That thing…it obviously not human, but…I don't know if I should fight it…I… it's better if I run away!) Minato got out his trance when Hamuko holds on to him more tightly. He stops shaking and begins to think clearly. (Damn it, if I run then who is going to protect Hamuko. Did I lie to myself? Did I lie about that promise?) He picks up the gun instinctively and looks at the Shadow…with a glint of red from his gray eyes.

"Hamuko, please stay with Yukari-san. Your aniki can handle the monster." Said Minato. He can feel his sister's confused gaze, but she did what she was told to do. Minato looks at the Shadow with that same look, only with the red more noticeable.

(That's right! I vow that even when worse comes to worse…) he points the gun to his head (I swear I'll give up my life to save Hamuko's.) His vision starts to get hazy and his hand is shaking. (Shit, not now…I got…to…FOCUS!) Just as Minato is about to pull the trigger, he feels the insane and irresistible urge smile, like a mad man drunk with power, and say one word.

One word…that will change his…and Hamuko's life…forever.

_"Per…so…na…"_

There wasn't a sound that sounded like a gunshot, but the sound of a mirror breaking. Shards of blue light are coming out from Minato's head and illuminate the rooftop. The shards start moving into a single area and seem to be making something. A voice of a man can be heard as the figure is forming.

_**I am thou…thou art I…**_

The figure has white hair and glowing red eyes. There is a giant lyre strapped onto the back. The body is metallic, in contrast with the organic head, and has a speaker attach to its abdomen area.

_**From thy Sea of the Soul…I come forth…**_

__The figure elegantly lands on the rails with the lyre off.

_**I am Orpheus, Master of Strings.**_

__The Shadow is suddenly scared of Orpheus as he screams at the Shadow. Minato couldn't suppress that crazy smile if he wanted to. His eyes starts glow even redder and…

"Ngh…" Minato puts his hand onto his head. (Crap, I can't fall unconscious now!) The headache decides to rear its way and begins its relentless assault. Orpheus starts to shake uncontrollably and his head starts to get lose.

Then an arm comes through Orpheus's head and another one. It grips both shoulders and…Orpheus's body got rip into many pieces with head falling to the ground.

The new figure is much larger and more menacing then Orpheus. It is a black entity with some sort of helmet, a katana at least half of its height, white gloves and boots, and several coffins strapped to its back forming an arch. The new figure screams at the full moon and begins to slash the environment violently.

(Damn it, what is it doing?) Minato covered his ears when that creature screeched (This isn't what I want!) The katana glistens into the moonlight and, for a brief second, shows a reflection of Minato's eyes. He stops covering his ears and grips the sickle with confidence.(No…this is perfect…if I can control this power…I'll protect Hamuko without fail.) He focuses and grips his chest. For a moment, he seems to be in perfect control, but soon has some difficulty gain composure.

He opens his eyes and holds onto his grip even tighter.

Just then, the sword wielder stops and, like Minato, grips its katana harder. It turns its attention to the Shadow. All is silent within the eerie atmosphere…except for Hamuko's shaking.

Without warning, the sword wielder leaps into the air and slashes the blue mask in half. The Shadow attempts to escape. But the figure grips onto the body and squishes creating some sort of black liquid. It proceeds as the figure uses its katana to slash it multiple times, with each slash staining the figure.

Once the destruction of the Shadow is done, the figure screams at the moon….until it reverts back to Orpheus.

Minato feels like his leg went numb on him. But he can't go unconscious yet. He drags himself to his little sister, who is on the verge of crying. He gently places his hand on Hamuko's head and says "Don't worry. Your nii-san is still here and the monsters are gone. Please don't cry Hamuko…every thing is alright."

Hamuko sniff very loudly and rubs her eyes. "Okay aniki…I won't cry." Yukari starts to wake up and wonders what happen. Apparently she got lucky…just some first-degree burns and a minor concussion.

"Did…did you?" she looks up to see something "Look out! There are more of them!"

Minato turns around to see 4 more of these creatures, granted they are much smaller and bear no dangerous weapons. They start squirming its way to the group, aiming to kill. Minato brandishes his sickle against one of them.

First he plunges the blade into one of them right through the. Next he takes out the sickle, causing a fountain of black fluid to come out. But he isn't finish yet. He slashes it on the same target by twirling his sickle for consecutive damage. Finally he cleaves the smaller Shadow in half. The result…let's say the janitor is going to be piss when he has to clean the rooftop.

One of the Shadow things lunges itself toward to Minato by using its claws. Minato saw it coming, so he simply sidesteps and counter by swing the sickle right into the mask. And for precaution, he slices his foe into many minced pieces.

Minato looks around to see where the rest of his enemies are and…dang…his eyes are really red. He sees the rest completely ignoring him. At first, he was confused as to why until…

(Crap! They are so not going to do what I think they're trying to do.) He realizes that they're going to the entrance of the rooftop. (Crap! Hamuko and that potential psychopath are over there!) He runs to where the Shadows are going.

Yukari pulls out the sword in case the worst is going to happen. Honestly, she seems frightened but has no choice. Her legs are still numb from that fire ball from the intense heat and she really can't use her bow since the Shadows are closing in too fast. No other option but to TRY to defend against the assault. One of the Shadows got in very close, raises its lethal claws for a strike. Yukari, being inexperienced in a fight, closes her eyes for the pain to come…

…Nothing has happened yet. Confused, Yukari peeks out just as Hamuko says "Aniki!" and is shock.

Minato block the attack…with his back. You can see the pained expression on his face as he grits his teeth. Yukari has never been this scared in her entire life.

But Minato laughs. He laughs the attack off. He laughs the pain off. He slowly turns to the Shadow and faces it eye to eye. He pulls out the gun…

The Shadow, despite its only face is a mask, seems to be in…_fear._ They slowly step back from their oblivion.

Minato points the gun to his head and pulls the trigger. He suffers from a short headache, but now the Master of Strings is reborn. Orpheus glares at the frightened Shadow with those eyes. He pulls out his lyre and uses it as a blunt weapon. After two or three more bashes the Shadow is vanquish.

Orpheus is now ready to face the last Shadow until…the Shadow lunges itself and tackles Orpheus, leaving his lyre behind. The Shadow is now on top of Orpheus and Orpheus could really just defend himself with his two metal arms. He manages to grab two of the claw with ease.

That is when the Shadow decides to play dirty. It uses its other claws to attack Orpheus's head.

"Ahhh! Somebody help me! That thing is trying to steal my face!" he yelled. He is trying to push the Shadow back, but the Shadow is like gum on hair. Once it sticks to you, it usually hard to get rid of.

…Usually.

Minato picks up his sickle and prepares to slay the Shadow until his vision starts to get hazy. Minato stumbles from the severe headache he is getting right now. To top it off, he feels like he has shortness of breath, thus the rapid panting. At this rate…

Minato feels like he is going to vomit. His head is spinning more and more with each passing second. He starts to lean on his sickle, but can't stop the shaking in his hands.

(Damn it! Not now…just a little bit more.) He punches the ground with his bare fist. Minato can focus just a little now. He runs to the Shadow with the sharp blade at the top. He slices the Shadow from its stomach by using the sickle to launch it to the air and cleaves it before it can touch the ground.

Minato checks to see if there's more. So far… there's nothing. Minato would've smiled if that headache isn't persisting. He collapses on the ground, ready to lose consciousness until…

"Aniki! Aniki! Are you okay?" she ran all the way to her brother's side, lying face flat on the ground. Minato weakly smiles and says…

"Don't worry Hamuko. Your niisan…is all right…" His vision gets too hazy and his mind is too heavy "I …just…need some…rest…"

He doesn't know what happens after the blackout.

**Meanwhile, on the streets, a blue mask is lying there. That mask looks like that Shadow's mask.**

**Magician: I'm just lying here with no body. Somebody please help me. My soul is trapped in this mask and that is a fate worse than death.**

**A piece of paper is right in front of it.**

**Magician: What's this? 'Disclaimer…the Observer doesn't own the Persona series. Atlus has the legal rights.' Who the hell is the 'Observer'? Couldn't s/he just kill me? And what's that thing that looks like it's going to-**

**Orpheus lands on top of the mask.**

**Orpheus: Ow! That hurt like hell! Huh? The disclaimer! Well I hoped somebody did it, so my employer won't know I was slacking off. Huh? A challenge request for the readers? Hmm…looks interesting. Apparently, the Observer notices a trend in the Persona fic in which the FeMc is involve with some sort of romance, mainly Akihiko. **

**So s/he challenges you to write that said fic…but with a twist. They want you to include a younger version of Minato in there. It doesn't matter how or what his role is, but he has to be there. Simple as that. Just think how an older sister and her younger's brother's relationship.**

**Also, just a reminder, this is your last chance to answer last chapter's question for a chance for a request. Here's the question:**

**What trait from Heavy Rain might be present in this fic? You don't have to be right, but the closest one gets the request. Until next time, I'll see you all later.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Reason…but why?**

**So much homework, so little time. But don't worry folks! I'll continue to work on the story on a daily basis! After all…I'm a genius! At least, I think I could manage…and my kitty just bit me. Anyway, here we go!**

**Animecrazy88: Well, it's not the right answer…but you tried at least. I'll give you points for it, so you can have your request. But don't expect it to be up until sometime in the future because my time on the computer is limited. Still, don't be shy and make a fan request. Also don't assume Hamuko can call her Persona just by the mere fact that she's awake during the Dark Hour. Remember, the same circumstances happened to Ikustki as well, so we're not sure for now.**

**Also, finally, we discover what in the name of gods knows what is going on with Minato!**

"Welcome, my dear guest."

Minato suddenly wakes up, panting for air. Last thing he could remember was those Shadows, Orpheus, committing the opposite of suicide, and Hamuko. He sees Igor and Elizabeth right across from him, Igor with the Cheshire Cat smile.

"I'm glad you've awaken young man."

"Yeah, nice to see you too Igor."

"It's nice to see you again. You became unconscious after awakening to your…power." He grins evilly. The smile doesn't fazed Minato though. He simply asks…

"My power? Oh thank god. For a minute I thought it was happening again."

"It's nothing to worry about though. So just…relax." Said Igor. "I see it was Orpheus who heeded your call."

"Who?"

"Your Persona. It's a manifestation of your psyche. Or perhaps your soul."

"My…soul…I'm surprised Orpheus isn't that deformed." Stated Minato

"It may take time to comprehend all this."

"Well, as long as my power can protect Hamuko, then I'm cool with it. But you don't mind telling me more about this 'Persona' thing?" Minato relaxes a bit, confident in the situation at hand.

"Certainly. A Persona is a facet of your personality that surfaces to react to external stimuli. You can think of a mask that allows you to brave through life's hardships." Igor explained vaguely. Minato could only scoff at it.

"Sorry, Igor. But I've been dealing my problems for the past seven years without a mask. What's a couple more years going to do to me?" asked Minato coldly.

"Hmm…I suppose mask isn't the right word. Perhaps a 'shield' is a more fitting term." Igor stated, "That being said…your 'shield' is still very weak."

The last minute causes Minato's eyes to widen. "I'm…still weak? Igor, please tell me how I can get stronger!" He bends over like in a temple.

"Your Persona ability gets stronger as you form Social Links-your, emotional ties to other people." Igor explained, "Now my dear guest, your destiny waits."

"My…destiny? Man, if it involves saving the world and shit, then count me out!" exclaimed Minato

"Oh? It's natural that you're reluctant. After all, you have your doubts." Igor stated

"Are you implying I'm scared? Because…because…"

"Because, what?"

Minato slouches down on his chair and says "Because I think you got the wrong person."

Igor is either puzzled or pretending to be. "The 'wrong person'? Care to elaborate?"

Minato sighs and seems to have a hard time as to what to say. He rubs his forehead and finally decides to speak.

"I…suffer…from frequent…black outs."

"Black outs?" asked Elizabeth

"Well, I guess I become unconscious lots of times. And…they happened randomly. Can't stop it, can't cure it." Minato sighs "The worst part…is that my body…tends to move on its own…so I wouldn't have any recollection as to what I'm doing half the time."

"So you feel limited because you're not conscious of your actions all the time?" asked Igor

"… …yeah." Minato looks tired "To be honest…you two are the first people who know my weakness. I…I'm trying to be strong…for someone I care."

"Than use that as your motivation. Now we must get going." Igor said "Time marches on in your world. The next time we meet, you will come here of your own accord. Take this." Igor hands Minato a blue key.

"Until we meet again, take care."

Minato's mind becomes a little less hazy and a bit more focused. He can see a white canvas and the ceiling of a clean room. The sun's light radiates a smooth heat and light that warms up the room. He sees some white flowers next to Yukari and…whoa, time out! Yukari is HERE?

(Oh my god, the potential psychopath! I got to get out of here! They know that I know too much!) Minato struggles to get out of his bed which snaps Yukari back to earth.

"Oh, you're awake." She said so simply.

(Hell yeah I'm awake. I'm awake and I'm getting out of here…even if it's the last I do.) Minato stops and thinks about it (Scratch that, the SECOND to last thing to do.)

"Hey don't move around so much. You're safe. You're in Tatsumi Memorial Hospital." Yukari reassures Minato

(A hospital? Yes! She can't kill me without any witnesses noticing! I'm saved!) Inside, Minato is crying tears of joy.

"By the way, the doctors say you were exhausted due to fatigue."

"That's nice…" said Minato until he realizes something. Well two things. "Wait…how long was I out?"

"About a week." She replied

"A week? Oh man, I really was losing my grip and-"

"What do you mean? You did really amazing the other night. I mean, summoning your Persona and all…" said Yukari

"Huh? Oh yeah, I only did what had to…and to be honest, I wasn't sure what I was supposed to." Minato rubs his head "But what are those things?"

"You mean the Shadows? That's the things we're fighting against." She explained "Don't worry, we'll explain everything later. I'm sorry I didn't tell you this before."

All Minato wants to do is crawl back to bed, but he decides to hear out Yukari. Its not like he has a choice.

"I wanted to tell you…that I'm kinda like you."

"'Kinda like me'? What do you mean?" asked Minato

Yukari hesitates to answer and bites her lips. "You see…my dad passed away when I was young. And my mom and I aren't exactly on good terms…"

"To put it bluntly, you two just hate each other." Said Minato

Yukari doesn't answer right away and actually thinks about her words. "I'm not sure if 'hate' is the right word…but we don't talk to each other anymore." She looks out the window into the distance "So I'm all alone too. To be honest, I already know about your past."

(Knowing whatever group she's working for, they probably had to.)

"…But it didn't seem fair. So I wanted you to know mine."

(Crap! I only knew her for a short time, but chances are she must have her dad died in a freak accident involving with some explosion while working with a big group. And to her, the only logical way was to go to school and gather up some more information.)

And guess what? Minato was right! She also mentions her dad died I 99' and was working with the Kirijo Group.

(…I really need to stop doing that. I knew I shouldn't have taken that job as a mah hon jong dealer when I was 11. And in a smoky environment no less.)

"I'm sorry, but that was the first time fighting those Shadows. You and your sister wouldn't have to go through this if I wasn't such a coward…" mumbled Yukari

"Hey I was scared too…"

"Yeah, but…"

"No, it's not what you think. I wasn't scared of _dying_. I was scared for _her_." Minato replied "I got over my fears of dying a long time ago and in return, I have been hit with a new _problem._"

Yukari sighs and says "And here I am telling you all this the moment you woke up. While I was  
waiting, I thought to myself, "I've been hiding so many things from him... As soon as he wakes up, I'll tell him the truth." So, thanks for listening. I've been wanting to share that story with someone for a  
long time. ...Alright, I'm gonna get going."

Before Yukari leaves, Minato stops her "Wait."

"Huh? Is something wrong?" she asked

"'I'm all alone too.' Are you implying I was all by myself?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, your parents died in a car crash too, so I…"

"That…is where you are wrong." Said Minato so simply. "I…wasn't alone. I still have Hamuko and she still has me. No matter what happens, we're always going to be there for each other."

Yukari looks surprised and says "Sorry. I forgot about your imoto-chan. I had to be pretty horrible to forget about her, huh?"

(Yeah. Yeah you are Yukari. Wait a second…does…is it possible…that neither she nor Mitsuru know about my blackouts?)

"Oh that reminds me. Your imoto-chan had been trying to make you sukiyaki for the past week for you. She really is a sweet kid."

"…Of course. Wait…all by herself?"

"Um…Kirijo-senpai supervised her and…well, she blew up the noodles."

"Really? That sounds like a huge improvement." Minato commented

"What? Are you for real?" asked Yukari

"One time, when she was trying to cook some eggs, the kitchen got caught on fire from a fiery one in our aprtment. Fortunately, a neighbor had the foresight to buy us a fire extinguisher."

Luckily, Minato was able to be admitted out of the hospital that night, but is wandering about. To be honest, he should have called someone to pick him up. The worst part is that he has no map. And he is completely lost.

(Maybe I should wait at the hospital and be pick up by the chairman or-)

"Huh? Minato?" says a familiar voice

Minato doesn't even need to turn around to realize it is Junpei.

"Junpei? What are you doing out so late?"

"Dude, I should ask you the same question." Said Junpei "But…um…if you want to know…" He leans in closer to Minato's ear "I...was visiting my gramps!"

"Your gramps?" asked Minato disbelieving it

"Y-Yeah, my gramps gets lonely sometimes in that hospital. He is recovering from an accident." Explained Junpei "But enough about me! Where were you man? The whole school was freaking out since you didn't come for a whole week!"

(Damn. Mitsuru and Yukari must've forgotten to explain my absences…or maybe not. I mean, I'm just a new student. Why would they care if I'm missing? Unless…) "You were worried about me, is that right?" said Minato

"What?" exclaimed Junpei "Okay, I was part of it but…"

"You got real worried, but don't want to look uncool, right?" Minato smiles mischievously

"…So you're saying I lied about the whole school getting worried?" asked Junpei face to face at Minato. They stared at each other, Minato being cool as a Jack Frost and Junpei, hot headed as a Pyro Jack.

All of a sudden…Junpei…laughs. It wasn't a big laugh, but it did break the eerie tension of the dark atmosphere. He stops for a moment and says, "Man Minato you're really good at this…seeing through peoples' lies and stuff."

(I wish I could always apply it.)

"But I gotta ask dude." Junepi said "Why are you here?"

Minato wonders what Junpei is talking about. He remembers where he is supposed to go. "Ah, I just want to get back to the dorm, but I don't know where it is and my cell is back in my room."

"Wait, you got LOST?" asked Junpei disbelieving it.

"Y-Yeah. I was never good with directions."

"I guess you're new around here, but still, dang…" said Junpei. He scratches his head and figures out something. "Hey, I know! I'll just use my cell to call yours and hopefully somebody will pick it up."

Minato becomes wide eyed, but smiles and said "Good idea! My cell is 213-YAMI!"

"Alright! Now just leave it to your savior!" Junpei pulls out a red cell phone from his pocket and dials to Minato's cell. They wait for several rings until somebody pivks up.

"Hello? I'm sorry, but Arisato can't pick up your call. Can you leave a message?" says a familiar voice.

"Holy crap…that's Kirijo-senpai! Dude, you never told me you are living with the two hottest girls of our school in the same dorm!" exclaimed Junpei

"Excuse me, but can you please tell me who are you?" asked Mitsuru

"Oh, um, I'm Iori Junpei, friend of Arisato Minato-"

Mitsuru interrupts what Junpei was about to say "I see. I'm sorry Iori-san, but Arisato-san is currently in the hospital. I'll let him know you called." Before Mitsuru could end the conversation, Junpei quickly shouts…

"Wait! I calling to tell you that Minato is out from the hospital and he is so lost!"

Silence reined the conversation for a minute or so until…"I'll ask the chairman to pick you two up."

The first thing that Minato gets when coming back is a tackle hug from Hamuko. She also proceeds to hug Junpei very hard. "Aniki! Jun-kun! Welcome home!"

"Hey Hamu-chan, nice to see you again." Junpei smiles and ruffles Minato's head "Funny story…your aniki was wandering about until…dah, dah, ta-dah, Junpei comes to the rescue!"

Minato lightly punches the Junpei in the shoulder and says, "Stop lying Junpei. You were just as lost as I am."

"What? I was SO not lost, Mr. I-can't-get-anywhere-without-a-map."

Minato punches Junpei on the shoulder again. "Hey, I resent that."

Junpei laughs about it, but quickly says "Sorry about this, but I got to get homeMy mom will ground me until I get to college if I stay out too late. Later." With that, Junpei runs off.

"Hmm…I wonder why he just doesn't ask me to drop him off?" wondered Ikustki (Gah, can't spell his name correctly.)

"Who knows…?" contemplated Yukari "But then again, he is Stupei."

(Hey, if he's stupid, than what does that make me, a guy who couldn't even find his own dorm?) Thought Minato

"Ahh, I wished Jun-kun could've stayed. I want him to try out some of the sukiyaki I made." Hamuko pouted. Minato secretly wonders how much damage his sister did just trying to create noodles.

"You have nothing to worry about Arisato-san. After the first incident, I personally supervised her as to not have any more of these incidents." Said Mitsuru

"Ooookay… and how bad the incident was?" asked Minato

"Let me put it this way…we were fortunate that the Chairman brought an extinguisher the day before." Said Mitsuru nonchalantly

(…Wow…that sounds exactly what happened back then…) All of a sudden, Minato hears the sounds of glass breaking. He is tempted to cover his ears, but is too dazed to do so. For a second, he thought he is hearing his own breathing in rapid sessions. (Come…on…give me a break…) "Excuse me, but I have to use the restroom." He rushes off to the nearest one and locks the door from the inside.

Minato starts to get wobbly and nearly falls down to the floor, if he hadn't grab onto the sink. He uses so much strength just to get himself back up. He leans forward to the mirror and tries to maintain balance. His vision starts to get hazy, to the point where his own reflection is a blur. Minato desperately feels his way to his skull watch to the dial. He pulls the dial three times to reveal a secret compartment inside…with a thin needle in it. He pulls out the needle, hesitates for a moment, and prick his pinky.

The pain was just a short burst, but he manages to focus again and his breathing has started to stabilize. The headaches are gone and his internal balance is coming back to him. He washes his face to make him look as if nothing happened.

Just in a nick of time, Minato got out of the restroom just as Mitsuru was about to knock on the door. She looks slightly embarrassed.

"My apologies. You were in the restroom for a bit longer than most people." Explained Mitsuru

"It's okay…I'm fine…" said Minato. " But…I'm really hungry…"

Hamuko drags her older brother by the arm and excitingly says "Come on Aniki! I really wanted you to try out the sukiyaki I made with Mitsuru-san's help."

"That night, everyone that wasn't lost or had to go to the hospital enjoyed some sukiyaki. It is pretty good, but something doesn't seem right.

"Wait…that taste…why does it tastes weird…" said Yukari as she sips on her glass of water.

"…To be honest, something about the sukiyaki is off." Commented Mitsuru while drinking some water

"Huh? I didn't put enough chilies in the sukiyaki." Asked Hamuko. At the word 'chilies' both Yukari and Mitsuru dropped their utensils.

"C-C-Chilies? I-I-I can't stand spicy food!" said Yukari as she quickly gulps her own water and goes to the kitchen to get more.

Mitsuru, the more elegant and dignified person, do what people of her kind does.

Bring the whole bowl back to the kitchen, put it simply on the counter, and chug down a water bottle.

And all Minato could do is laugh. He laughs a little bit, until he hears the sound of glass breaking again. "Thanks for the sukiyaki Hamuko. Next time, your nii-san would make you something." He ruffles Hamuko's head a bit. "Good night!"

"Good night aniki."

"Damnit, why won't this key go through?" Minato tries to use the key for the last minute until he realizes it not his room. He goes down for one more door and inserts the key.

_Click!_ The key smoothly opens the door and comes out without any trouble. Minato goes into his room. His starts to feel dizzy, begins to lose his balance, and his breathing becomes labored. He can hear the sharp sounds of the glass breaking and his body feels like it is being burden by 1000 kg of weights.

Next thing he knew, his world turns black.

**Junpei is walking back to home whistling in the dead of night while carrying some bags. He was minding his business until a random paper flew right into his face. He struggles a bit and takes off the paper from it.**

**Junpei: What the hell? (Looks at the paper) huh? There's something written on it. Let's see:**

**Disclaimer: The Observer00 doesn't own the Persona series or the characters in this universe. Need do I say more?**

**Junpei: Who the hell is this 'Observer' or a 'Persona'? Well its none of my business…hey there seems to be more.**

**Glad to see people still reading this, even though I don't know why. But I'm still an amateur, so I really need to hear you peoples' opinion on some of my following questions.**

**Why did some of you wanted to read my fic in the first place? All I did was made Hamuko a 10 year old, thus making Minato the older brother. I mean when it comes down to it, ****Green Midnight**** did it much better, but that's just me.**

**I feel like I didn't characterize the characters properly. I guess I felt some of them felt OOC. Take Junpei for example. He is supposed to depict as immature, perverted, and a happy-go-lucky guy with an inferiority complex…**

**Junpei: Hey! I'm not like that at all!**

** But, to me, I portrayed him as a genuinely nice guy who cares a lot for others and other I can't think of.**

**But anyway, thanks for reading, although I kinda wish I could get more reviews. This might sound selfish, but your reviews are what keep me going. Even JUST one review gets me a boost of inspiration, but…I guess that does sound of selfish. But please, tell me what I need to improve upon and I'll do my best.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: My friends are beside me…even in hell.**

**Hello again to this fiction. I just wanted to say…I really, REALLY appreciate your reviews. It's always a nice surprise to see someone making such great reviews. I'm sure that's how everyone who isn't a ToD author feels. Time for some responses:**

**XoreandoX: Thanks for tips and the giving me insight on my characterization skills. I was just afraid that I'm made them too OOC since it's generally not liked unless it's a parody. Just so you know, I saw the whole Persona 4 story, so to show you my gratitude allow me to do a request for you. (But you got to wait until I'm done with Animecrazy88's one first!**

**But man, I honestly didn't think just by changing one thing I would cause a butterfly effect. By making Hamuko a kid, I basically stopped almost every guy from having a romantic relationship, gave Minato a reason to keep going, and might eventually become an integral part to SEES. I was not expecting it. AT ALL.**

When Minato comes back to the classroom after a week of unexplained absence…he's going to explain. And by explain, he means lying. And by lying, he means bullshitting.

"Sorry about that Ms. Toriumi, but I wasn't feeling well. Actually I felt more like vomiting last week."

"How sick were you?"

"Well, it came to the point…" Minato has to quickly think of something because he really didn't come prepared for this. "…that I thought I had Apathy Syndrome."

"Apathy Syndrome? You thought you had it?" asked Toriumi skeptical. "But no one told me you were sick…"

"Ummm…sensei?" Junpei raises his hand, which is surprising since he rarely raises his hand.

"Hm…is something wrong Iori?" asked Toriumi

"Actually…I saw Minato walking from the hospital. He was just admitted out of the hospital last night." Explained Junpei

"…Hmm...I wonder if I should trust you since you seem the type to lie…"

"H-Hey…why would I lie?"

Toriumi ponders this for a minute and says "Alright Iori, I'll take your word for it this time. Arisato, please bring a note so you could be excused."

Minato bows just like Edgeworth does in AAI and says "Sure thing sensei." He could hear his classmates' whispers, but decides to ignore it. Once he reaches to his desk he whispers to Junpei, "Thanks for the save man. Now I own you one."

"I'm just surprised Yuka-tan didn't offer any sort of explanation." whispered Junpei.

(After that fiasco where she thoughtlessly blabs on, I'm sure she is going to be more tightly lipped for now.) thought Minato.

After school, Junpei ask if the two of them could hang out.

"Ugh…sorry, but I have to go back to my dorm right now."

"Ah ma…well see you later. Tell Hamu-chan I said hi."

After picking up Hamuko from school, the two of them walk back to the dorm with Yukari waiting for them.

"Oh, hey. You're just in time. The meeting will be held on the 4th floor and the chairman will be the one directing it." explained Yukari.

"What about Hamuko?" asked Minato "Does she have to be part of this?"

"Um…that's actually a good question. Hang on for one sec…" Yukari dashes off to the top floor and comes back down.

"The Chairman agrees though she…um…might have trouble understanding all this." said Yukari.

"Um…is it really alright?" asked Hamuko.

Yukari doesn't know what to say except, "The Chairman seems alright about this."

"Okay, but just to let you know. If you guys try to persuade me into joining into some weird group, I'm afraid we have problems." He said that while smiling.

"Um…I'll keep that in mind." says Yukari. Minato and Hamuko leave before her and all Yukari could mumble is, "He was smiling…but why…why did it feel like he has murderous intents on me?"

Yukari opens the door to the meeting room. Inside is Mitsuru, Ikustki (seriously, how do you spell it?), and Akihiko. Minato wonders why there is some guy in this room. Mitsuru's bodyguard, perhaps?

"Ah, I'm glad you're here and okay. I'm also glad your sister is here. Please you two, have a seat." says Ikustki. He was about to say something until…

"Hey there Arisato Minato. Nice to meet you. The name's Sanada Akihiko." greeted Akihiko.

Minato wasn't even fazed about that. In his head, since this Akihiko guy is related to all this, it is only natural that he would know Minato beforehand.

However, Yukari didn't think this through. "Wait, how did you know his name?"

Hamuko is thinking why this man is so familiar. She remembers that hair and vest. "Hey, you're that mister I met the other night!"

Now this, Minato wasn't aware of. He looks genuinely puzzled by this. (When did Hamuko met that guy? I just hoped he didn't do anything to her…)

"Haha, don't worry, she ran off before I could even apologized.

(What the… how did he know what I was thinking?)

"You're probably wondering, 'how did I know what you were thinking'?" says Akihiko" Come on…I could see it in your face. I just…have similar experiences as well."

Ikustki clears his throat to get everyone's attention and says "Well, it's nice that you know him beforehand, but we're in a very important meeting. You can converse with each other later." He turns his eye to the siblings "Okay, let me start off by asking you this... Would you believe  
me if I said that a day consists of more than 24 hours?"

"Allow me to answer that question with another question…would you believe me if I said that I saw it many times happened beforehand?" asked Minato. Mitsuru and Ikustki weren't expecting that answer. They recover their cool when Mitsuru ask…

"Do you remember the night you two came here?"

"All I could really remember was being scare." Said Minato "But…I'm used to it by now."

"I'm sure you would've noticed since the electricity wasn't working and you probably felt like you were in a different zone." reminded Mitsuru. "That's the Dark Hour, a time hidden in between."

"Hidden? Or just not known yet?" asked Minato

"Very perceptive of you Arisato. That's actually what the Dark Hour is…" complimented Ikustki "Basically it happens at midnight each night."

"Dark…Hour?" whispered Hamuko confused

"Yeah, but you probably don't realize that since you were…asleep at that time…" said Akihiko.

"Dark Hour…the time when electronics stop working…and happens at midnight…" Minato rephrased it for his own sake. (Actually, looking at it, it was obvious.) He thought until he realizes something (Wait…Hamuko WAS awake during this 'Dark Hour' thing, yet the way Akihiko-san said is very peculiar…like…)

"And unfortunately…um…there are monsters hurting other people who are…awake…and we are basically trying to beat them." said Akihiko.

"So, you're like the police?" asked Hamuko .

"Um…I supposed that's one way to put it." says Yukari.

"Well to be more precise Arisato-chan, we're a group called SEES or Specialized Extracurricular Extermination Squad. On paper, we're classifies as a school club. But we actually protect the people at night because…a normal officer get knocked out. Mitsuru is the leader and I'm the advisor."

"Also the enemies we're facing…takes away… a person's thoughts and feeling…"

(Hmm… if I remembered correctly, Yukari called them Shadows, so it's logical we're fighting against them. It's also safe to assume that when Ikustki says 'knocked out' he really meant 'in their coffins'. ) thought Minato very quickly (I'm sure what Mitsuru-san is saying that those 'Shadows' feed on a person's…mind…) He suddenly felt a shiver (Brr…and I thought the Mind Crush was the scarier thing…)

"Also, those things are the cause of today's problem." said Mitsuru. Minato perks up and blurts out,

"They're responsible for the drop in Japan's economy?"

The SEES members are shock by Minato's idea. They are silent for a moment until Mitsuru says, "Um…no. They're responsible for the Apathy Syndrome."

Once again, Minato perks up again. "Apathy Syndrome? You mean that thing that makes other people become more listless then a vegetable?"

"Bingo, that's what we're trying to prevent." Said Akihiko

Minato calms down a bit and asks, "Why does this have anything to do with me?"

Ikustki pulls out a silver briefcase and the contents inside are…a gun.

And Mitsuru isn't pleased at all. "Mr. Chairman! There is a child in here!"

Ikustki realizes his mistake and apologize.

"That's okay "said Hamuko "I already know what a gun is."

Again, everybody is quiet, except for Minato. Nobody doesn't know what to say…or even want to ask Hamuko on how she knows that it's a gun. They have their own theories as to how Hamuko came to know this until…

"H-How did you know?" asked Akihiko

Hamuko excitingly says "Aniki used to work at a police station!" with such enthusiasm.

This time, Mitsuru is shocked at all this and says, "B-But there weren't any papers saying you work-"

"Oh that? Yeah, I only worked there as a coffee boy back then. And they asked me to file paperwork. And occasionally, I have to clean up the other officers' desks." Minato explained in a tone of as a matter of fact.

Still, Mitsuru doesn't buy the whole thing. "But there's an age limit as to when you could apply for jobs. How could your employers gave you that job and what age?"

Minato smirks and says "You'll be surprised as to how many people will buy the idea that you're a midget, provided you have a convincing story, speech, and voice." Than Minato sighs and says, "But back to topic…what is there to prevent me from joining you?"

Yukari, who's head is spinning from all this, agrees with Minato, "Yeah, I mean, it's all up to him if he wants to join or not. Even though it'll be nice to have a helping hand."

Minato looks at his sister and then to SEES and finally says, "Alright, I'll join your group. But just to let you guys know…" Minato adjusts his headphones "…I fight for the people I care about."

Ikustki is the first to respond. "Excellent. I glad we can reach an understanding."

Minato is just relaxing until he hears a sharp crack in his head. He perks up, bracing for the worst. Nothing has happened yet. All of a sudden, he hears a voice that is not his own.

_Thou art I…And I am thou…thou shall have the blessings when making Personas of the Fool Arcana._

(What have I gotten into myself this time?)

"Ah, what a night." mumbled Minato "I'm glad to be able to sle-"he stopped midsentence when he sees the jailhouse kid again. "…How did you get here?"

That kid smiles and says, "I'm always with you. I just wanted to tell you that the end will come soon. I remembered, so I thought I should tell you."

Minato chuckles and says, "The end? Of what? Everything?"

"…Yes. You're absolutely right."

(…I really need to stop guessing what the other people will say! What's next, my original employer will mysteriously come back?)

"Oh, but it seems you have awakened to your power. And what an unusual power it is. A power that can take many forms, but is bound by none. It may prove to be your salvation, depending on where you end up." said the mysterious kid.

"What? You mean my Persona, Orpheus? Last time I checked, he isn't a wizard or a weapon specialist." replied Minato.

"You'll understand in time." The mysterious kid disappears and reappears in front of Minato's doorway. "By the way, do you remember the first time we met?"

"Yeah, you had me signed my life away." grumbled Minato "By the way, my imoto-chan is supposed to sign a contract in the future, right?"

The kid chuckles and says "You never seem to forget anything. I expect you to honor your commitment. For everyone's sake." The kid finally disappears. And Minato really wishes he have a blackout right now.

The next day, Minato forces himself to get out of bed. As much as he likes sleep, he really can't kick the old habit out. He looks at his watch…7:30 A.M. Minato yawns and grumbles, mainly because it's highly unlikely that anybody is up. So he does what anybody will do on a beautiful Sunday morning.

Go to Youtube and watch 'Sayonara Zetosobou Sensei'.

"Ha, ha, can't believe an anime such as this really exists. So funny, yet so mind provoking." Says Minato as he watches episode 10 on his laptop he gotten when he worked at that office building. As the janitor.

"The card-dependent society had left mw in despair…genius. The creator couldn't be more true." said Minato. Just then someone knocks on the door.

"Hey, are you awake?" asked Yukari through the door. Minato decides to have a little bit of fun with the potential psychopath.

"Yeah, I'm fine…could you leave me alone, so I could kill myself?" asked Minato so casually.

"Okay, whatever you…wait what? No don't do it! You still got so much to live for!" shouted Yukari as she tries to break through the door. First she tries rushing it, then kicking it, and finally tries pushing it. Secretly, Minato is laughing from the inside until he remembers one thing…Yukari is female. He quickly opens the door just as Yukari kicks with all her might. Thankfully, it's not in Minato's private area, but it did hit him on his leg.

Yukari huffs and gasps for air, and say "Don't even think of killing yourself!"

Minato rubs his leg and replied, "Relax, I'll never commit suicide." Yukari is silent for a moment, not knowing whether to be relieved or be angry. Inside of Minato's head, he hopes that Yukari will just be relieved. He doesn't want his life get cut short after all.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot, but Akihiko-senpai said we're getting a new member." says Yukari "He says we should head downstairs to meet our new member."

"I…see." was all what Minato could say. (Damn, I don't know if she forgives me or not. Hopefully, she forgives me…because I don't want to die so soon.)

Once they reach downstairs, Akihiko was already waiting for them. "Where you two lovebirds been?"

(…Does he think I have a thing for Yukari…because I would sooner shoot myself in the head then go out on a date with her…oh wait, I already did that.) thought Minato

"Hey, come on and stop slowing us down." shouted Akihiko.

"Hold your horses. This is frickin' heavy." Minato and Yukari are wide eyed by that voice. There is only one person who could sound like that…

…Iori Junpei.

Junpei brings his luggage inside the dorm and sees his friend and classmate. He smiles and says, "Nice to see you again, you two."

"W-Why are you-wait don't tell me…you have the potential?" asked Yukari incredulously.

"Yeah, I know big shocker and all. But man I was surprised to see that dorm. I didn't think you two will be involved in this." said Junpei.

"Yeah, and the worst part was that I found him crying on that night." said Akihiko

"Yeah, but sempai told me…it was normal…I mean being disoriented and forgetting stuff…boy I couldn't remember what I was crying about at the convenience store." he laughed at his own situation.

"Convenience store?" mumbled Akihiko.

"That'…sounds pretty normal to me." said Yukari.

"But seriously, I never expected you guys to be involved at all." said Junpei "I bet you're stoked to have me here."

"Huh? Um, yeah, right." said Yukari quickly.

"Well…as long as you're willing to go with us to this deathtrap, then I'm cool." said Minato with a very normal chuckle. Unfortunately, the others just stare at him and Junpei looks at Akihiko.

"D-Deathtrap?"

"I-I'm sure Arisato was joking…at least, I hope so. We'll see since we have more than enough people to explore THERE." said Akihiko as confident as he could, despite feeling like there's a rock in his stomach.

"You mean Tartarus?" asked Yukari

Both Minato and Junpei look at her, one confused and the other brought down. "Tartarus? What's that? Sounds like toothpaste."

"…Really?" said Minato "Sounds something out from my nightmares."

"…I… I think I rather not ask what your nightmares include. Oh, that reminds me Minato…" said Junpei very seriously. His expression is solemn and has complete eye contact with Minato. Yukari and Akihiko don't know where the tension is coming from. They feel like something heavy in the atmosphere. Junpei asks most serious question in his life with the most serious face.

"…Does Hamu-chan like Jack Frost dolls?"

Everyone sweat drops by Junpei's seriousness in that question…except for Minato.

"Um…she likes Pyro Jack dolls better."

"Dang it, I already brought her a Jack Frost doll for some reason." cried Junpei.

**Somewhere in the darkness…there is a glimmering light…it is white, but it repeatedly changes colors…and there is sound…like people are talking…and someone grumbling.**

**Orpheus: Damn it, you would think I would've found a light switch in this dingy soul. Seriously, this will be the last time I'll ever go to the sign, 'Space for Rent.' *looks at camera* Hey you! Help me find the light switch so I can do my job! Oh wait…here's the disclaimer.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except what people say and Minato's personality. Do I really have to do one every chapter.**

**Orpheus: Great, I did my job, but I'm still lost in the dark! When will the next chapter come? At the rate the Observer 00 is going, it'll be forever until we reach the big boss. S/he wants to apologize for his/her pacing. Just felt like they really need to flesh out some more characters. *Sigh* Thankfully Tartarus will be where I make an appearance again! Yeah! Oh yeah…we also see Minato's sickle again, but who cares…actually the Observer does. Having seen too many fics in which he uses a sword has left him in despair. Come on people…Minato has *insert spoiler here* with him, so why can't he use a scythe? But listen to me ranting on and…oh, here's the light switch.**

**Clicks the switch several times until a dim light appears.**

**Orpheus: Please review so I won't go cold in the desert. This section is being powered by reviews. I really wish I could take a break, but I know fans won't let me. Otherwise they'll think I died or something.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Reawaken! Evil Smile!**

**Author's notes: Good news everyone! Orpheus just brought a heater so he won't freeze. Not to mention you guys gave me some really good ideas.**

**XoreandoX: Thanks for helping me remember Ikutsuki's name. Seriously, I had a devil of a time with his name. Also, I appreciate for giving me an idea for Minato's scythe, but I actually thought of something, but I'll keep that in mind.**

**Neko-neko-aishizu: Those are some great ideas for Hamuko's Persona, especially Hemera, the personification of day though it'll be awhile until we see rather or not that Hamuko will get her own Persona. And when I mean a while, I mean a LONG TIME.**

**KazeMirai: Good luck with your upcoming fiction. Let me know when it comes out. **

**AnimeCrazy88: I honestly have no clue as to why I want Junpei to give Hamuko a Jack Frost doll. I supposed you could call it a "Writer's Impulse."**

**I'm actually amazed as to how many people are interested in this just for the fact I included Hamuko as a little sister. Boy you guys are in for a treat in this chapter.**

**April 20**

Minato is waiting for the train stop until Yukari come by to sit right next to him. Instinctively, Minato scoots over to once to the right. This puzzles Yukari greatly.

"Hey is something wrong?" she asked so innocently.

(Shit, I don't want to sit next to the potential psychopath today? One slip up and she'll be very suspicious. Add in the fact that she's female, she'll go after the targets that are acquainted with her…Okay time to lie.) "Sorry, but I…was making room for some other student!" he exclaimed.

Yukari looks at him strangely and says, "Okay…hey, sorry about dragging you and your sister into this."

"Sheesh, you think I could care rather or not I was forced to. Seriously, I don't give a damn so long as I fight those Shadows." said Minato.

"But doesn't Kirijo-senpai made you feel obligated to fight it?" asked Yukari.

"Listen Yukari…if she was making it into an obligation, then I would've take Hamuko with me and search somewhere else. But I was obligated a LONG time ago." explained Minato

"Huh?"

During lunch Minato and Junpei are eating some bentos when Mitsuru comes to classroom 2-F. "Could I have a minute? Come to the lounge when you get back to the dorm. I have something to tell you."

(Oh man, I really hope it isn't about the recruitment or something.) thought Minato as he sees Mitsuru leaving the classroom.

"Wow, she certainly didn't waste any time leaving." commented Junpei.

"That's because she is Student Council, unlike us." said Yukari in disgust.

"Huh? Then why you aren't in student council Yukari?" asked Minato

"Wouldn't make it. Besides, I'm already busy with other things."

(Other…things? Please tell me she isn't trying to learn how to use a REAL gun. Seems like every day, the more I learn about Yukari the easier I can imagine her to be a serial killer.) thought Minato (Damn it, nobody ever taught me on how to deal with psychopaths.)

"Hey Minato, you're sweating bullets." pointed out Junpei.

After school, Minato and Junpei went to Uchiha Elementary to pick up Hamuko. Since neither one of them wants to be late or face higher authority that is known as Mitsuru Kirijo, they flipped a coin.

"Okay Junpei, I'm heads and you're tails, okay?"

"Sure. Loser has to face the stampede of kids, right?"

"Yeah, sure." Minato flips the coin into the air and grabs it by the back side of his hand. He opens it to reveal…heads!

"What? Oh man, I'm so going to get killed, aren't I?"

"No Junpei, you'll just be slightly bruised, but nothing too serious."

"Well…here goes nothing." Junpei rushes in to the front doors of the school. Meanwhile Minato smirks as he puts his double-headed coin back into his pockets.

"There you are you two. What took you so lon- Huh? Junpei? What happened to you?" asked Yukari.

"I rather not talk." said Junpei as he rubs his arms "But if you really want to know, go pick up Hamu-chan after her primary school ends."

Yukari decides not to ask any questions, but is concerned about Hamuko." Won't she get lonely by herself?"

Both Minato and Junpei look at each other and then to Hamuko who replies by saying, "That's alright. I can stay downstairs and do my homework."

Junpei scratches his head, Yukari looks worried, but Minato pats on his sister's head. "Well, if you're stuck on a problem, you can always ask me."

"But, aniki-"

"Don't worry, your nii-san will always be there for you, no matter how busy he'll get." said Minato with a serene smile.

"…Okay." Hamuko goes to the table to do her homework.

At the fourth floor, Ikutsuki (I think I got his name right!), Mitsuru, and Akihiko are waiting for the trio. After everyone is seated, Ikutsuki announces, "Good everyone is here. I would like your undivided attention." Ikutsuki clears his throat and says, "For the longest time, the only Persona users were Akihiko and Mitsuru. However, that number junped to five."  
(Yup, the five of us.) thought Minato (This team includes some reckless pretty boy boxer, the princess of cold, a potential psychopath, a really nice guy who doesn't follow the rules, and me, a guy who borderlines on blacking out in the most inconvenient times.)

"Therefore, I like to commence the exploration of Tartarus starting at midnight." continued Ikutsuki.

"Hey Minato, what's Tartarus again?" asked Junpei

"Based on my knowledge so far…the nest of those monsters things."

"…He means the Shadow." said Akihiko who heard what Junpei asked. "And Arisato is right…it's a nest of those Shadows. The perfect place to train."

Yukari looks a bit worried. "But senpai, your injury…"

Mitsuru only gives out the smallest smirk and says "Since Akihiko hasn't recovered yet, he'll only come as far as the entrance."

Akihiko bit his lip and says in a disappointing tone, "I know."

"There, there, there, "said Ikustuki "I'm sure Akihiko won't complain as long as you don't go too far. Besides…Tartarus isn't exactly we have to avoid."

"Great…this sounds like that one game…what it was called again?" mumbled Minato.

"Don't know man, but I'm sure you're thinking of Nintendo." remarked Junpei "Hey, I got a question."

"Hmm…something that we didn't explained yet?" asked Mitsuru.

"Yeah…um…how are we supposed to get to this Tartarus place?" asked Junepi.

Akihiko looks at Junpei, then to Mitsuru, then to Junpei, and finally back to Mitsuru. "Yeah…how are we supposed to get there? Because, as much as I like to train, I REALLY don't feel like walking all the way there."

Mitsuru only responds by pulling out a plastic card, with her portrait picture that says…oh.

"That's right; Mitsuru received her driver's license last month. And I won a bus in an auction, so you guys can get there."

"…Why did you buy a bus?" asked Junpei.

"Just think of it as impulse buying."

At 11:00 P.M. Minato finishes up everything: sharpening his old sickle, wash his face to stave off his blackouts, prepare for stuff for school tomorrow, and tugging Hamuko to bed.

Junpei comes down to the lounge when he sees Minato with his sickle. "Dude, is that a scythe?" he asked astonishingly.

"Technically, it's a garden sickle, but yeah, it is a scythe."

"Dude…with that thing…you could be the next Grim Reaper." stated Junpei "But man…I didn't expect you to have something like that…especially with Hamu-chan around."

Minato smiles mischievously.

The bus ride is, to say the least, boring. The next 45 minutes Minato was listening to his music, specifically KawaitaSakebi by Field of Dreams and Voice by Cloud. He then sees a building that looks vaguely familiar. It didn't dawn on him until the group got closer. That is when Junpei voice Minato's question.

"What are we doing back to school?"

Everyone got out of the bus and wait. Minato and Junpei exchange each other looks of unease. That's when Minato's watch hand-scythes align themselves to 12…

…Within that time, the school crumbles down giving rise of a massive tower.

Minato is the first to recover from that shock and asks, "What the hell happened? Did we step into another dimension?"

"This…is Tartarus, the Labyrinth." said Mitsuru.

"…Hey…Minato…how did your nightmare ended?" asked Junpei.

"I…really don't remember. It was either being mauled by monsters or wander aimlessly and be trapped in there forever."

Inside was a clock-like entrance and a motorcycle hooked up to various equipments. Junpei commented on how cool it looks from the inside for it gives a calming, yet eerie atmosphere.

"This is only the entrance, so we need you three to get a feel of this place." said Mitsuru.

"What? By ourselves?" asked Yukari.

"Don't worry Yuka-tan. There was this one manga where the heroes are in a similar situation and had to scout not very far from their location." said Junpei who is nervously smiling.

Mitsuru can't help but chuckle at Junpei's statement. "You're absolutely right Iori. We just want you three to get a good feel of this place."

"What? Does that mean you won't be coming too?" asked Minato.

Akihiko each gives everyone an earpiece as a confirmation and said, "Outside help is pretty invaluable since this maze keeps changing. We also need to appoint someone as a leader for field operations."

"Really? Who? Pick me, me, me…" said Junpei like an excited school boy on his first day.

Akihiko glances to Junpei, then to Yukari, and then to Minato. "You'll be in charge." said Akihiko to Minato.

Junpei looks surprised, but Minato is shocked by this. "Why me? I mean, granted Junpei is easily excitable and Yukari is…Yukari, but why ME?"

"I know what you mean Minato. I mean you don't look anything like a leader."

"That's not the point Junpei." said Minato. He fell silent when he notices a velvet blue door with the exact shading of that key. He slowly walked over there while Akihiko is explaining why Minato should be leader. Minato pulls out the Velvet Key and sees a light.

Minato slowly walks over to see Igor by himself. Igor grins at Minato and says, "I've been waiting for you. The time for you to wield your power has come."

"Um…mind if I ask a quick question?"

"In time…but this tower you are about to venture to-How did it come to be? For what purpose does it exist? Regrettably, you're not capable of answering either of these questions." explained Igor "That is why you must be made aware of the nature of your power."

"Well…power is power. So long as I can control it, I should be fine."

"Exactly. However…your power is like the number zero…empty, but holds infinite possibilities."

"Wait…what in Shibuya's name does that mean?"

"Do not worry…you'll understand soon." Igor stops talking while looking at Minato expectantly. Minato is pretty clueless and his face is proof. Igor enlightens him by saying, "Didn't you have a question?"

"Huh? Oh, that! Um…yeah…where's Elizabeth? I don't see her anywhere."

"She…is dealing with…family affairs. Now you must go back. Your friends are waiting."

"Hey man, snap out of it! Can't make Hamu-chan worry about you again." Junpei tries to shake Minato several times until Minato regains focus.

"Junpei, you can stop now…"

"Oh, sorry man. But you were like a zombie, just staring into space."

"Yeah, is something wrong?" asked Yukari.

"…Nah, it's alright," said Minato as he picks up his sickle. He notices that Junpei is wielding a katana, although closer examination reveals that it's actually wooden.

"Dude, while you were out, Kirijo-senpai gave us some weapons to fight. Now lets go kick some ass!" Junpei heads to top of the entrance. Yukari looks at Minato and asks something.

"Hey, where did you get that sickle anyway?"

"Oh this? I ordered it from Tanaka's show, and no…it's not a rip-off. It's actually cheaper than the ones sold in stores," explained Minato. (Well actually I ordered it from Tanaka's show. You can get weapons without raising any suspicions.)

According to Mitsuru, they only have to explore the first floor. Minato realizes one thing…he shouldn't ate that fried rice for breakfast…it's not settling in well.

Inside the first floor, things seem pretty normal. If you count the blood splatter normal. Yukari flinches at the sight of it, Junpei stops but keeps going, and Minato isn't even looking at it. All of a sudden, they hear something. The group readies their weapons in case of a surprise attack. They glance out of the corner and proceed.

_Swish…_

Something is right behind the trio, but didn't notice. Slowly it crept up to Yukari…slowly and silently. The attack is almost perfect…almost.

"Turn around Yukari." said Minato without turning his back. Yukari wonders for s split second as to why…until she did what she was told.

Just in time to dodge! Junpei beats up that shadow with his wooden katana while Yukari fires some arrows at it. Soon the Cowardly Maya was vanquished.

"Can you hear me?" asked Mitsuru over the headset.

"Don't worry, we're fine." said Yukari "But a Shadow almost ambushed us. If it weren't for Minato…"

"I apologize. I should've warned you there was one approaching." said Mitsuru somberly.

"Its okay senpai." said Junpei "Though, dude, how did you know it was going to hit us from behind."

Minato looks at both of them and says, "When you're the janitor at an old movie theater at Friday nights, you'll learn a thing or two about creepers."

They continued their way when they see three more of these Mayas things. Junpei is the first to respond, by heading into the enemy while madly swinging his katana. Yukari sighs and mutters "Stupei…" and releases an arrow at one of them. There was only one more left until

_Screech!_

The Maya was so loud that it temporarily disables communication. But the real purpose was to call for help. Soon 5 more of these Mayas and some sort of glove appear. Minato pierces through the glove Shadow with his sickle and spins around to knock off the other Shadows. He stops and hits the floor with the glove Shadow still in. Minato releases his victim only to slash at it several times for good measure. He sees Junpei's katana breaking from all that pressure and Yukari backing away while trying to get some aim. Minato grabs his gun…the Evoker as the formal term…and points it to his head.

"Taste my opposite of suicide attack!" Minato pulls the trigger to bring forth Orpheus. He lands gracefully. Orpheus's eyes glow red as he raises his lyre and strums the strings. Orpheus quickly plays his instrument and a fire ball is launch to 4 out of 5 of those Shadows.

Only the glove Shadow got out of it. It clenches itself up and goes at high speed. It grabs Orpheus and tries to crush him. Minato tries to get Orpheus to cast that fire attack, but he wouldn't respond. In an attempt to get Orpheus, Junpei tries punching it while Yukari tries to snipe it down. Yukari misses that Shadow and nearly took out Orpheus's head out.

"Hey, leave my Persona alone!" shouted Minato to either that glove or Yukari.

…Maybe both, actually.

When that Shadow stops, Minato slams his scythe down to it with so much force. The force was so great that it split the blade part from its handle. The Shadow lets go of Orpheus as it struggles to get rid of the blade. Orpheus then proceeds to bash that Shadow to a pulp with its lyre.

Once everything is done, Mitsuru calls in. "Is everyone alright?"

Junpei is the first to answer and says, "Kinda senpai. Unfortunately, my katana and Minato's scythe just got busted."

Minato tries to catch his breath when his vision starts to get hazy. He hits himself to stay on track. (Shit not now…did using Orpheus aggravate my blackouts?)

"I suggest you take an Access Point. There should be one around the corner." stated Mitsuru. "I don't detect any enemies, so it's safe to split up."

The group decides to do what Mitsuru suggested. According to Minato's watch, they have been wandering around for 15 minutes. He soon realizes that he is going in a circle. He sees the handle and the blade of his cheap scythe. He was about to grumble when he hears Junpei yelling he found the Access Point.

At that moment, Junpei heads out on his own, so Minato, as much as he hates to, tells Yukari where the Access Point is because that is an obligation for a leader.

Yukari follows the directions given by her senpai. She should see Minato at the next corner and…huh? She felt something ran behind her. Maybe she's just being nervous, but just in case…

"Um…Kirijo –senpai…are there any more enemies?"

"Let me check." replied Mitsuru "…No, I'm not picking up anything…"

"Thank goodness." said Yukari "I guess Stupei was right about me being paranoid." She lowers her bow down and continues walking.

Big mistake…

Yukari didn't know what hit her, but a Shadow knocks her down. Yukari yelps as she struggles to get her Evoker. Just as she points it to her head, one of Shadow's hands grabbed her wrist and tries to move it to a new location. The Shadow attempts to strangle Yukari, but she is trying to block it with her free hand. This proves to be futile when the Shadow puts more pressure thus she can't resist much longer.

"Hey Shadow! Over here!" shouted Minato's voice. Yukari glance back to see him…without a weapon and looks tired. "Don't worry, I got this under control!" But his thought say differently (Actually, I don't know what else am I supposed to do. I doubt I have the strength to summon Orpheus again, my scythe was destroyed, and I don't think Junpei can get here on time. All I have is something to stab at.)

The Shadow must have been a mind reader because it's goes to back to trying to strangle Yukari. Minato frowns and sigh.

"This…guess I better use that technique…even though it's been 3 years since I last used it…" Once again, Minato tries to get the Shadow's attention by throwing 10 yen coin at it. The Shadow looks at Minato annoyed.

Minato sighs as he waves his hand right in front of his face. Slowly, as the hand passes through his face, he changes his expression from the usual tired and stoic expression…to a more sinister and insane look. He is smiling like the devil who is torturing his victims; his eyes are that of a madman bent on total power never blinking and are very red.

The Shadow, for the first time, feels an emotion. The emotion of _fear_…

It knew it should run away, but found itself it can't. The mask just keeps staring, not even trying to strangle Yukari anymore. With each step Minato takes, the Shadow stiffens more and more…until…

Minato stabs at the Shadow with the blade of the scythe he was hiding it from behind. He proceeds to kick the Shadow out of Yukari and slowly walks over to it. The Shadow tries to get up, but Minato pins it down and stabs at it multiple times. The Shadow is screaming so much that one thought it was saying, "p-pplease…j-just k-k-kill…me…n-n-now…JUST KILL ME NOW!"

As soon as Minato finishes killing the lifeless form, he gasps for oxygen and notices his uniform was stained by the black fluids from the Shadow. He glances over to see Yukari…holding her breath. Yukari couldn't help but flinch when she sees Minato looking at her.

"Get up. I don't want to deal more of these." said Minato with his back turned. Yukari promptly gets to the Access Point. Minato hears the sound to confirm it.

"Arisato, are you alright? Takeba is back on the first floor." said Mitsuru.

"Y-yeah Mitsuru-senpai, I'm…coming…down…now…" Minato puts his stoic expression back and staggers toward the Access Point.

Akihiko and Mitsuru barely catch Minato as he fell from the Access Point. They both question what happened in Tartarus. All Minato could say were something about Shadows seeing someone smiling evilly. They carry him to the bus where Yukari and Junpei are asleep on the seats.

Back at the dorm, Minato, Yukari, and Junpei struggled just to get back at their rooms. Minato had it worst since his mind feels so drained and the halls seem to get darker. He feels it is so tempting to just blackout onto the floor.

(No, Hamuko might get worry. I…can't…make her…worry…) surprisingly, Minato reaches his room and collapses. Before going out he thought (Damn it, I did it worse. Maybe tonight isn't the same as the others, but I always grit your my for my sister's sake. It'll….be just…like any other…night…)

**Orpheus is bandaging his mechanical body. He grumbles about stuff…**

**Orpheus: Great just great. Let see how crappy my life was. My wife died, had my head chopped off, been put into a body if questionable durability, got torn off from the inside out by Thanatos, nearly got crushed by a GLOVE of all things, nearly lose my head to that psychotic girl, and my master is just too attached to his sister. Oh wait disclaimer**

**Disclaimer: Observer still doesn't own Persona, but makes me say something witty.**

**Orpheus: Oh well, Devil May Cry 4 will make everything better. Although s/he has another question: Was it a bold (and potentially bad) move to make Minato somewhat an insane man. Cause the Observer likes the idea of Minato having two sides. The nice, stoic, and brotherly person you have come to know and love with a hint of over protectiveness for his sister and the crazy and sadistic boy. Also s/he notices that s/he mentions Hamuko in every chapter. Is that a good thing or bad thing? Cause s/he is still a newbie but really wants to improve their story. Guess they're insecure and really doesn't want to rewrite the whole thing. They'll continue on as it goes, so please settle into this roller coaster ride. Until my next screen time, see ya.**

…**Wait… when the hell I will talk again?**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Socializing**

**Man, I bet you people are sick of me being insecure about what I'm doing. Well starting now, I'll try to be more confident and its thanks to you guys! Though…I guess I should stop publishing hot off the press. **

**XoreandoX: I know Junpei's first weapon was the Imitation Katana, but I always thought it was a wooden one. Besides, it wouldn't make any sense to bring a prop to battle seeing as though they can break easily. But as we last saw, both Junpei and Minato's weapon broke.**

**Also to the Yukari fans out there, I'm sorry for using her as a guinea pig, but for some reason, I just don't like her. I don't know why. I like Rise, Kanji, Junpei, Yousuke, and Shinjiro a lot better (MCs don't count). Maybe because her problem seems…I don't know…she could handle it by herself if she tried?**

Minato heads to school by with Junpei since Yukari isn't feeling too well. They were discussing about last night until Junpei brought up, "But man, our weapons sure got thrashed."

"Yeah…and I don't know where we are supposed to get new weapons." said Minato "…Guess I got to go to the nearest garden store to get a new scythe."

"By the way, where did you learn how to use one of those? Because I figured you would use a sword." wondered Junpei

Minato looks around and checks to see if anyone is in earshot to hear it. "Okay, but you're the first person to know this…" Minato whispers in Junpei's ear "…When I was 12, I got a job as a bodyguard."

Junpei's expression is just beyond stunned "S-seriously?"

"Seriously. And I used to be a bodyguard for a well-known Yakuza back then at the night shift."

"W-what? Dude, you must've been beat up a lot." exclaimed Junpei. Minato only chuckles at Junpei's statement.

"Actually, I did get beaten up by almost every single rival Yakuza clan back then. Yet somehow, I just get back up." explained Minato "I don't know why I exactly I chose the scythe…except that it felt right." Minato can't help but laugh at that memory.

"Dude…you must have the most messed up past I ever known."

Junpei runs ahead saying he wants to try out the snacks there. Minato is casually walking to the gate until…

"Hey, you're Arisato Minato?" asked some brunette student. Minato turns around and glances at him.

"Yeah? And what do you want?" he asked.

"I just wanted to say hi…I mean after all…you're dating Takeba Yukari, the most popular student in the second year, right?"

(Wait, what? Was there a rumor like that for awhile? Looks like I got to stomp it flat because who wants to date a potential psychopath?) "That's just a rumor…nothing more…"

"You don't say? By the way, my name is Kenji Tomochika."

"Er…alright? I…guess you want to hang out sometime?"

"Sure…see you later I guess." said Kenji "By the way, we have an assembly from the class president herself."

"My god…I hate assemblies. They tend to be so long." complained Minato.

"That's why, my friend…is why you should bring a music player." suggested Kenji.

At the assembly, Minato sees Junpei and Yukari sitting…ways from each other…and him. Somehow, he got a seat next to Kenji, so he is a bit relieved. The students become instantly quiet when the Student President…

…who turns out to be Mitsuru Kirijo.

(W-What the-? Okay, I knew she was in Student Council, but I had no idea she was the president. Oh well…like it matters anyhow…I'll just snooze out and…) Minato rethinks about it (On second thought, maybe I should just listen for 5 minutes…)

Little did he know that those 5 minutes will be the longest ones in his life.

(My god…if there is one…she really drags the point along.) thought Minato (That's it…sleep.)

… … …

It took Kenji's nudge to wake Minato up from his sleep. "Dude, wake up man."

Minato wakes up as soon as Mitsuru leaves the stage. He scratches his head and asks, "What did I miss?"

"I really don't know. But to me, it sounds like politic stuff."

Minato yawns and says, "Politics stuff, huh? That's pretty unusual for a high-schooler like her."

"Well, actually…from what I heard from Rio…Mitsuru-senpai is the heir to the Kirijo Group, the corporation that owns this school." said Kenji.

"Is that so? No wonder she always sounds so formal."

"Yeah…good thing we slept through it…and good thing Rio wasn't here…she'll kick my butt for not paying attention."

"…What?"

Since Minato already got a good nap, he basically the only one who any attention to the Mejin era. Junpei is sleeping while staring at the board and Yukari keeps nodding off.

(Those poor guys…if only they slept through the assembly like Kenji and I had…)

"Boy, class sure is boring." commented Junpei.

"It was only boring because you were half-asleep and Yukari was half-awake because of that stupid assembly." replied Minato.

"What…you saying you didn't listen?"

"Don't see any point…I always taught Hamuko that if you do things at your pace while pushing yourself, you will be fine. To me, this assembly just seems like a waste of time."

"I…guess I understand…you know, I heard Kirijo-senpai opposed it since we could be using that same time to study or something."

"Yeah, but knowing you, you would oogle some hot girls." joked Minato

"Hey, you got it-"

"I'm fine with that…just don't do that when Hamuko is around." said Minato calmly "Otherwise…there may be consequences."

Junpei looks at Minato nervously until they hear the screams of several girls at once. Good thing they were walking to the side…otherwise they would have been trampled by men's greatest fear…

…Fangirls.

Minato peers over to see what the girls were swooning over for. The center of attention is going towards to Akihiko Sanada.

"What the hell…? Why…?"

"Why does our senpai have all the girls?" Junpei finished Minato's question. "Dude, he's the captain of the boxing team which, next to our karate team, is pretty popular. Now if only they have baseball team…or a pharmacist club…"he mumbles the last part.

"Boxing team?" asked Minato (Maybe I should brawl with him some time later.)

Akihiko seems seriously annoyed until he sees the duo. He walks over to them and says, "There you guys are."

"Yo, senpai, so where are we going?" asked Junpei excitingly.

"Someplace…more quiet." said Akihiko as he tries to cover his ears.

"What…you mean…we're not going to hang out with your friends?"

"Junpei…think of it this way…" said Minato as he pats Junpei's shoulder "What kind of 'friends' scream every time they see them?"

"I guess…that makes sense." acknowledged Junpei.

"Yeah…well meet me at the police station in Paulownia Mall." directed Akihiko "There's someone you have to meet."

"Like…right now?"

Akihiko nods and is about to walk away until…

"May I borrow your cell phone?" asked Minato. Akihiko is confused but hands him the cell. Minato quickly swipes it and calls somebody. He quickly looks into the directory and hits the call button. The cell rings for a couple of seconds until someone picks it up.

"Hello? Is something wrong Akihiko?" asked Mitsuru.

"Sorry senpai, but I just took his phone, seeing as I don't know your cell phone number."

"A-Arisato? Why-"

"See Akihiko is going to take me and Junpei somewhere…the police station…and I…kinda need somebody to pick up Hamuko."

"Is that so… I DO have some free time, so I'll meet your request. Though why didn't you asked Takeba?" asked Mitsuru

(Oh crap, she makes a good point in her view. I still can't trust that potential psychopath with my sister. Oh right, time to lie…) "I…don't have Yukari's cell number." (Good for once only…but I'm sure nothing else will happen.)

"I see…since we're in this together…it'll be wise to have some way to keep contact with each other."

"Good." said Minato as he swipes Junpei's phone and inputs Mitsuru, Akihiko, and his cell number. "Thanks senpai."

Junpei and Akihiko are just looking at Minato dumbfounded as he gives back their cell. "What…we got to stay in touch…"

They head to Paulownia Mall via train. Before coming inside, Akihiko gives Minato and Junpei 5000 yen.

"Hey there Officer Kurosawa." greeted Akihiko to a police officer. The police officer has a gruff expression with this serious face. Part of his face is covered by his cap.

Minato stops and looks him in the eye. Kurosawa looks as if he saw a ghost or something. They both simultaneously shouted…

"You again?" shouted Minato

"What the hell are you doing here?" snapped back Kurosawa. Akihiko and Junpei flinched back by the sudden shouting.

"Y-you know this guy?" asked Junpei.

"Yeah…a couple of years ago…in that one job…" grumbled Minato.

Kurosawa glares at Akihiko "Why didn't you mention about HIM?"

Akihiko loses some of his cool and says, "I…I had no clue…"

Kurosawa only sighs and scratches his head. "What's done is done. So Akihiko, I assume you want some weapons?"

"Yeah…um, this guy could use a katana and the other likes a scythe."

"Still have those connections, huh Kurosawa-san?" asked Minato.

"Shut up Arisato…I'm done with that life…and I'm most certainly done with you…" said Kurosawa a bit annoyed.

"So that's WHY…"

"…Enough. Sorry but no scythes, just some steel katana. Those will cost you around 3000 yen." Kurosawa heads to the backroom and hands Junpei a newly made katna.

"Uh…thank you, sir. But how am I'm going to sneak it out?"

"…First you try it out. If you like it, then you have to wait a day later at latest for it to arrive. That's basic Yakuza business smuggling technique."

Junpei seems really impressed. "R-really?"

"Yes. That's how Yakuza can get their firearms without raising too much suspicion. But that only works in a local area. I can't send it way out because of customs." explained Kurosawa as he eyes on Minato.

Junpei takes a few swings and pays up. Both he and Akihiko quickly scurry away as they do not want to be a part of this. Minato and Kurosawa glare at each other.

"You know…every time I see you…I see nothing but trouble…" said Kurosawa.

"And every time I see you…I see nothing but a conceited man…" replied Minato.

"Humph…think as you wish…I'm an officer now…I protect the citizens now…"

"Well good for you. Glad everything worked out for you."

"… … … Anyway, I really don't have any scythes for you. But I think I can get you a good one…" said Kurosawa "But he's still quite fearsome…wonder if he'll meet my request…"

"You mean that old coot is still alive? And here I thought he'll be rotting away in prison."

"…Whatever. Just get out of here." ordered Kurosawa.

Minato feels like he shouldn't go to Tartarus since he doesn't have a weapon and Yukari needs one more day to rest. Mitsuru obliges and states it's not important to go there every night.

"By the way Mitsuru-senpai…" said Minato all of a sudden "Thanks."

Mitsuru doesn't know what Minato is referring to, so he decides to explain it further.

"You know…for picking up my imoto-chan."

"Oh! Well…I'm just glad to help…though…" Mitsuru grips onto her arm.

"Wait…did I forget to mention about the stampede of kids?" asked Minato

"Y-yes, I'm afraid you fail to mention that detail. Fighting Shadows has raised my defenses…but to be honest, I wasn't expecting children to bruise my arm. "she said.

"Well you did better than me or Junpei…he was sore all over and I thought I had indigestion."

The next day, after school, Junpei is willing to pick up Hamuko since he doesn't have anything to do giving Minato a free afternoon. He really doesn't know what to do.

(Hmm…maybe I should join a club. Kendo sounds fine…especially since I could easily kick other peoples' ass.)

"Hey Minato…" chirped in a familiar voice. Minato doesn't need to turn around to see who it is.

"Hey Kenji, what's up?"

Kenji seems shocked by Minato's greeting. "You…you recognized my voice?"

"Of course…I mean…we DID sit next to each other at the assembly." said Minato as he feels a headache rearing itself in.

"Oh…I guess you're right…so, you have any plans today?" asked Kenji excitingly.

(Plans? Do I have one? For the longest time…I always pick up Hamuko after school…maybe it'll be alright to…wait a sec…) Minato whips out his cell phone and calls Akihiko.

"Huh? Hey Minato. Is there something going on?"

"Hey Akihiko, what are you doing? Are you busy? Can you do something real quick?"

"Whoa, one at a time Minato! What's the emergency?" asked a flustered Akihiko.

"I send Junpei to pick up Hamuko, but I remember he's…Junpei…mind if you run to pick her up?"

Akihiko is silent and says, "Well, I could use some running, so I think I'll beat him there." Akihiko hangs up before Minato warns him about the stampede.

Kenji is weird out by that little drama. "Family emergency?"

"Kinda."

"Well, I hoped it got taken care of. So…you hungry?" asked Kenji sincerely.

"Yeah…but you better not try to make me pay for it. I have a LOT of experiences where people rip me off."

"Wha-? No way! It's my treat!" snapped Kenji. Minato shrugs his shoulder and decides to go to Hagakure with him.

At the school entrance, Kenji and Minato are walking out of the school entrance until…

"Hey! Kenji! Wait for me!" exclaimed a girl's voice…quite loudly. Minato turns around to see a junior girl with black hair kept neat with her ponytail flying across. Her face speaks of innocence with a band-aid on her cheek. But what really drew Minato was her clothing.

For she is wearing a gi for martial artist.

"Hey there Rio! I didn't think you would show up!" said Kenji, who seems to be familiar with this Rio person.

"Yeah…well…there wasn't any practice today…and I didn't feel like switching my clothes around. So I thought that I should hang out with you." Rio eventually notices a confused Minato standing there. "Who is that GUY? Listen punk, if you try anything…"

"Relax Rio. That's Minato, my classmate. He is agreeing to hang out with me. Minato, this is my childhood friend, Iwasaki Rio."

Rio lightens up and offers a handshake. "Whoops! Sorry about that! I didn't know you were Kenji's friend."

"Ah, no problem. I had worst." said Minato as he reaches out for the handshake. Too bad he wasn't looking back…because Kenji is trying to signal saying…

_Don't shake hands!..._But was unsuccessful.

Minato is really surprised with Rio's hand grip. She got some tight muscles that are much stronger than Minato's. Much, MUCH stronger. Minato thought his hand was going to be crush by Rio's. Thankfully, she let go just in time.

"So what are we waiting for? Lets go." said Rio as she runs off.

"She's pretty strong, isn't she?" commented Kenji as the two of them walk.

"Yeah…I think circulation is coming back to my hand now." mumbled Minato.

"Eh, you'll get used to it…like I did whenever the two of us high-five."

"…My…god…"

**At Hagakure Ramen Shop…**

The trio ordered their food and is conversing with one another. That's when Minato learn a bunch of things about Kenji and Rio.

"You were captain back in middle school?" asked Minato (So while I was getting my ass kicked, she was kicking ass.)

"Yeah, but doesn't seem like I'll be captain anytime soon again." said Rio.

"Oh come on. Remember…you have my support." said Kenji

"Yeah, I guess you're right." said Rio "Hey Minato, have you ever fight before?"

"Uh…a little bit…not martial arts though…"

"Sweet! Cause I need a partner to practice with so I thought maybe you want to give it a go."

(…I'm going to regret this, but…) "Sure, I could spar with you…sometimes…when I feel ready…"

Rio pumps her fist and says, "Woohoo! Finally…somebody to practice with!"

"Well then good luck!" said Kenji smiling, but if one were to add more words it'll be like, "…Cause you're going to need it."

Minato sweats a little at the horrible ass kicking he'll receive but feels Kenji and Rio's trust from them.

_**Crash…**_

_Thou art I…and I am thou…_

_ Thou have started the Magician Social Link. Thou shall have the blessings when choosest the Persona of the Magician Arcana._

(What the hell was that…? Was that the sound of my 'Social Link' forming? This could be a while until I get some used to…)

"Hey, our ramen is here." said Kenji as everyone's ramen got here "Lets dig in."

They spend some time conversing with one another until…

"Hey Kenji…could you order some take-out ramen for me? I'm kinda broke…" asked Minato as he pulls his pockets to show he has nothing.

"Huh? Is there a reason? Not that I don't mind paying as long as you can pay me back."

"I just want to bring some to my imoto-chan and my pal."

"You have a sister?" asked Rio

"Huh? Guess I forgot to mention Hamuko, but yeah I do have a sister. A 10 year old sister to be more exact."

"Well wouldn't you know…betcha you can't get the ladies because you're taking care of your sister."

"Yeah…and I would rather prefer time with my imoto-chan then go on a date with some girl."

"Well…bring your imoto-chan next time…that way…we all could enjoy it…and I would have a reason to use Rio's money." said Kenji jokingly…until Rio cracks her knuckles.

"I'm sure she will love to meet you two." said Minato.

"Yeah…so long as Rio doesn't break anything." joked Kenji .

"Hey, I'm not that bad of an influence. You better keep your interests to _women_ to yourself!"

"Wha-? But she needs to know what love is and other things."

"Maybe, but not from you of all people." said Rio.

"At least I don't mercilessly beat up people until I know what they did."

The two of them argue for quite some time. By the time they were done, Minato already left. What they don't know was that he took their cell phones, input their call information, put in his own, and takes the take-out.

He wonders when he'll get to hang out with those two again.

**Somewhere in a garden…Orpheus is trying to catch Pixies since they're in season. He managed to catch some and figures that he'll catch one more for the day. He hears a rustle and slowly crept over with his net ready. All of a sudden…a Godzilla sized Pixie emerges from that bush. Orpheus didn't even think about it as he runs away screaming that nobody will get his face. Too bad he didn't know it was an illusion created by the High Pixie.**

**H. Pixie: Boy that was fun scaring old gray hairs away. Huh…what's this? The disclaimer? Says Observer doesn't own Persona series… Just who is he…er, she? Well I don't care…after all. Development may be slow but we're getting somewhere. Huh? There are some notes…**

**Observer: We finally reach the Social Links. To be honest, I didn't feel it was so good, but it is the introduction stage. Yes, the Magician Social Link involves BOTH Kenji and Rio. I guessed I got the idea from Kou and Daisuke's Social Link from Persona 4. To be honest…I felt like Atlus really polished the Social Links there…but nobody could beat Akinari's Social Link. Also if some the dialogue doesn't seem like they're from the game…chances are, they probably aren't. I'm really bad at remembering stuff like that…so guessed I might've have changed it a little bit. But I do have the script, so I should be fine. Although…if you guys want me to come up with my own dialogue, then hit the review button and…review. Next chapter…back to Tartarus to fight those Venus Eagles…and we'll see some of more of Minato's crazy antics! He'll also get a new scythe! Get ready!**


	9. Chapter 9: Darkest Edge

**Chapter 9: The Darkest Edge**

**It's official everyone…I have become addicted to your reviews. It may sound pretty weird, but your reviews are what keep me going. Maybe that's why I abandoned my previous fic****Persona: Between Light and Shadows****.**

**XoreandoX: …I didn't mean to make a running joke at all. The opportunity just seemed too good to pass. **

**Glad you guys like how I turned Rio into a very strong martial artist. But just how strong? Lets just say in an even battle between her and Minato, Rio will win hands down in less than a minute. One of the few people who actually might beat Minato.**

**On an unrelated note, I need a beta-reader so my story could be more fantastic. **

**Also check out my one-shot called 'Amusing' with Hamuko being the older sister to 9 year old Minato.**

**Now to the story!**

"Hey, Minato…Akihiko-senpai seems pissed." whispered Junpei as Minato glances to where Akihiko is sitting. He is quietly sewing his boxing gloves…but something tells me he is mad. This got everyone, except for Mitsuru, worried.

Especially to young Hamuko.

"Is Akihiko-san mad at me?" asked Hamuko worryingly "Is it because he doesn't like me?"

"No one is mad at you Hamuko." said Minato reassuringly as he pats his sister's head.

"Yeah, what Minato said!" joined in Junpei to the little girl "I mean, senpai probably had a bad day…or something like that."

Akihiko overheard what they were saying and stops at what he was doing. He walks over while hlding his chest and says, "Hey don't worry kid…I was just…upset…over something…"

Hamuko looks up to the pained Akihiko. "R-Really Akihiko-san?"

"Yeah, but you don't have to call me Akihiko-san, just Akihiko will be fine…"

"…Okay Aki-kun!" said Hamuko. She sits down at the table to do her homework. Once she got distracted Akihiko glares at Minato.

"W-What?" stuttered Minato because he couldn't fathom as to why Akihiko is mad at him.

"I was going to be back in tip-top shape this week." said Akihko slowly.

"Really…that's good news…" said Minato but still doesn't get it…until he realizes what Akihiko just said "_Was?_ What happened?"

"It is because of you that I have to wait until exams are over just so I could train again." said Akihiko calmly.

Both Minato and Junpei were confused…until Minato finally figures it out. "Don't tell me…you were…"

"I got trampled over…just so I could pick up your imoto-chan. They hit all my sore spots…and more."

Minato quickly apologizes for the pain Akihiko had to go through. In that moment, Akihiko lightens up. "Hey, don't worry about it. I figured you might be busy so I could take the pain. Just…warn the next guy next time."

Before Minato gets to answer, the doorbell rings. Junpei checks out who it is, but doesn't see anybody except a police car whizzing by. He looks down to see a rectangular package on the doorsteps.

"Who was it Iori?" asked Mitsuru suspiciously.

"Don't know. Probably one of those pranks…but they did leave us a present." Junpei brings in the package.

"Just what is in it? And for who?" asked Akihiko.

"Don't know…the only thing that said is 'The Evil Smile'."

Minato perks up and says, "I think this is for me. Probably one of my former employers sends me this."

"H-How…?"

"Some of them send me gifts for working so well in their companies." said Minato nonchalantly. He unwraps to see something gleam against the light. He paused to see what looks like a letter and picks it up."

_From Kurosawa,_

_Don't say I didn't do anything for you. I should've been holding onto this but the Silver forced me to send it to you. All I ask is that you stay out of trouble and do NOT say about a word about that incident._

_Consider this as a warning._

(Heh heh, Kurosawa you're still with us even after that, huh?) Minato takes out the object…

…to pull out an ornate scythe.

The scythe is a lot sleeker than the sickle Minato was using. The main body is pure black and is made out of stainless steel that is hollowed out from the inside giving it a light weight feel. The blade has some engravings that look like a wing of an angel on one side and on the other side is a devil wing. The blade looks recently made and has that new factory smell.

"Whoa, when did you afford this scythe?" asked Junpei "Because I sure want to know your manufacturer…"

"I recognized this scythe…" said Minato as he puts it back in the box "This is _Darker than Dark_."

"'Darker than Dark'?" asked Akihiko "Who came up with a name like that?"

"One of my old bosses…" said Minato simply. He grins and asks Mitsuru, "Is Yukari ready to go now?"

"Don't worry about me." piped in Yukari just as she is coming downstairs. "I'm feeling much better."

"Good…because now…stuff will die…"

After tucking Hamuko into bed and doing some light studying, Minato is sitting down on the bus while listening to some Advance Wars: Days of Ruin music (specifically Hope Never Dies) to get his adrenaline going. Finally…Tartarus, again.

Like last time, Minato, Junpei, and Yukari are going to explore Tartarus even further while Mitsuru gives them intel. Meanwhile, Akihiko will try to do some homework.

All is going well. The trio takes out several Shadows, despite not unlocking their Persona. They were having a stream of good luck.

This, unfortunately, pours into a basin of misfortune.

Junpei got ambushed by some sort of Tiara thingy and soon it called reinforcement in the form of Cowardly Mayas and Magic Hands.

"Oh for the…TAKE THIS! Orpheus!" shouted Minato as he summons the Master of Strings to send out a barrage of fire balls…not enough to do some actual damage. The Cowardly Mayas got smart and dog piles on Orpheus.

"…Can't…breathe…"

Minato flashes his new scythe to take out the three right in front of him. However…his lack of focus to the rear will cause him.

The Magic Hands decide to punch him with his back turned.

"Minato!" cried Junpei as he takes out another of those Cowardly Mayas. He sees more coming their way and shouts "Shit!...Well….here goes nothing!" Junpei pulls out his Evoker from his pockets and aims for his head. He flinches when he feels the gun in his hands and the barrel touching his cranium. He bites his lip and was about to pull the trigger when…

_Bam!_ A Magic Hand punches him into the cheek making Junpei lose his balance, but with his Evoker still in his hands. He gets pissed, growls in pain, and shouts out,

"Persona!"

Junpei shoots himself with the Evoker to let loose of the blue shards. The shards start manifesting itself to a humanoid figure with razor sharp winds attached to his feet, wearing bronze armor, and those knight helmets. You could see the bright yellow eyes through the helmet.

_"Thou art I…and I am thou…from the skies above…I have been awaken…"_Junpei's persona does a spin kick on the Magic hand _"I am Hermes, messenger of the gods!"_

"Whoa…this is my Persona?" said Junpei in awe "…Sweet." Hermes punches a Shadow right into the mask and does a roundhouse kick to the one behind him. Soon more Shadows start appearing. Hermes focuses a little bit and unleashes a fireball against three Shadows at once.

"Iori, it seems your Persona knows the fire skill, Agi."

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" said Junpei as he swings his katana around.

Yukari briefly stares at Hermes, then to Junpei, and finally to Minato. She looks at her Evoker and bitterly thinks, (I'm being protected again…why? Minato did it and Stupei did it. Why couldn't I? Am I'm afraid?)

"Yuka-tan! Watch out!" shouted Junpei as he blocks a strike from a Shadow.

Yukari pulls out her Evoker and points it to her forehead, whispering "I can do this."

Once again, the blue shards appear, manifesting itself into a giant bull skull with a priestess with cloud-like hair chained to the skull.

_"Thou art I…and I am thou…from the chains that bind me…I've been released…"_ the priestess sends a strong gust to give everyone room to fight _"I am Lo, priestess of the mighty gods." _Lo raises her hand onto Hermes, who had took some damage from slaughtering Shadows, have his armor fix.

"Hello…I'm the one who could use healing…"

Just then, Minato feels a cooling sensation to his body as his muscles dramatically relax. For once, he feels like his back isn't so jacked up.

(Good to know that the best that psychopath's Persona could do is summon wind and heal…) he thought to himself as he and Orpheus continue on with their carnage.

"Hey, save some for me!" shouted Junpei.

"Wait you two! Hold on!" shouted Yukari.

After a while, the trios along with their Personae are breathing heavily. There doesn't seem to be anymore reinforcements coming along.

"Hey…Kirijo-senpai…didn't you mention there's a guardian?" asked Yukari as she breathes deeply.

"Yes, just the next floor…but I advise against it since you might be fatigue…"

"Nonsense Mitsuru-san!" shouted Minato "We're feeling great…huh?" Minato suddenly sees cards floating in air. One holds a picture of a red sword, the second seems to appear to be coin, the third has a skull mark on it, and the last has a fairy on it. (Something tells me I shouldn't get the skull marked card…despite that itlooks so cool.) The cards shuffle themselves, but Minato picks the one with the fairy on it.

_You have welcomed the Persona, Pixie, into your heart._

(What the hell? But I thought my Persona was Orpheus…wait…that kid did say something about my powers…)

But what an unusual power it is. A power that could take many forms, but is bound by none.

(I wonder…maybe he was referring to the idea that maybe I could multiple Personae. Igor said something about my power being like the number zero.)

"Come on, lets keep going!" yelled Junpei.

Minato, Junpei, and Yukari walk up the stairs feeling confident. For Yukari, she feels like she could do this now. Junpei is eagerly waiting for what's next. Heck, even Minato is humming the instrumental song "We Will Prevail". To say Mitsuru is impressed was an understatement. It's like saying Akihiko being a good boxer but have difficulty with his homework.

Too bad their confidence got shot down again.

Without warning, something whizzing by hit Junpei quite hard, causing him to fall off from the stairs. Minato and Yukari look as to what's going on, until Minato feels like being lift from the ground. Yukari looks around to see what the heck is going on."

"Come in…do you hear me Takeba?" asked Mitsuru, who was taken aback by the surprise attack.

"Something…WHOA!" Yukari feels a gust of wind hitting her. She could barely keep her eyes open, just enough to see an eagle carrying some sort of lantern.

Back to the previous floor, Junpei is nursing his leg…with some bandages he always carries around. "Freaking Shadow with his stupid sneak attack…" He grimaces in pain as he stops a minor, but potentially serious bleeding. "Come on out there and fight like a man!"

Minato falls onto the floor quite hard. He grumbles that those Shadows don't seem to have any decency. He tries to get up but stumbles.

(Shit, not now…I can't black out now…) thought Minato as he grips onto scythe

Junpei is swinging his katana around like a mad man, but the Venus Eagle (according to Mitsuru) kept dodging his swings. To make matters worst, the Venus Eagle keeps sending very powerful wind. Even the slightest wind can make Junpei lose his balance.

"Damn it, this thing is tough," said Junpei as he rubs his rear end "Screw this…LETS GO HERMES!"

The armored messenger appears and starts chasing after that poultry. The Eagle counters by sending a gust against Hermes…back to Junpei.

"Ouch!" shouted Junpei, for his Persona is quite spiky…and the spikes are pointing to his ribs. Junpei gets up and tries swinging his katana against the Shadow. Needless to say he misses several times, while Hermes tries chasing it. Unfortunately, Hermes crashes into a wall every now and then.

"Oh, this is really burns…and I don't know how much heat my body could take…" mumbled Junpei as he applies some ointment. All of a sudden, he has a brilliant idea…and Hermes knows it too.

Hermes sets himself on fire causing the room to significantly warm up. He starts spinning around…so fast that the embers are coming in from all directions. Several of them catch onto the Venus Eagle and it starts trying to put out the fire. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Hermes flies toward it while spinning around for a critical Cleave attack.

The bird shrieks in pain as it fades away.

Yukari isn't doing so well. Even with Lo's healing abilities, she's taking more damage than she could restore. Her Garu skills won't work since it's highly resistant to wind. If she could just shoot even one arrow…

Yukari barely dodges the airborne attack from the Shadow, though it's not easy when you're in a staircase. More often then not, she almost slipped, only to grab hold of the railing. At this rate…

Yukari tries to calm down a bit…and figures out how to take it down…

She pulls out her Evoker to summon Lo…and hides within the skull part. The Shadow tries to get into the skull, but Yukari snipes it, causing some massive damage.

"It's working…" whispered Yukari "I can't believe Personae are good at being walls." She gasps for breath all of a sudden "No…just a little longer…one more hit…and it's down…" She inhales the air deeply, trying to calm her heart down.

3…

2…

1…

Yukari dismisses her Persona and rushes off with her arrow ready. Perfect timing, since the Venus Eagle is coming at full charge. In all honesty, Yukari never fired an arrow while running before, but right now, she doesn't care.

The arrow was released…the Shadow went through Yukari…everything went silent…

The Shadow crashed into the stairs and degenerates into some black smoke. Yukari gives a sigh of relief as she sits down…

Minato's luck is pretty crummy. Not only does he have to deal with an annoying Shadow, but he also has to stop himself from blacking out. He also took some blows into the stomach and feels like his lunch is trying to get out. What's stopping this from marking the 'Worst Moment of his Life' was that the Pixie he picked up could heal…kinda like those fairies in the Legend of Zelda series. Except…they don't revive you when you die…and they cost some energy.

Minato tries for the wait-and-counter approach. He could doge it perfectly…it's the countering that's difficult. The last time he tried it, his scythe barely graze the Shadow's wings...which is basically the best he got so far. He took another hit and feels the pain.

"Damn…this thing is just too fast for me…unless…" Minato pulls out his Evoker to bring forth Orpheus. (I'll have to sacrifice healing at some point and I can't stay on the defensive forever. If I hope to clip this bird's wings, I'll have to get slap around a feel times now.) Orpheus sends out a single Agi spell, but it misses entirely. Minato attempts to predict where the bird is going as he tries to pin point its location.

Unfortunately, the more Minato tries to focus, the more dangerously close his blackout will happen. He really has just one chance…

"Ah, screw this; I'm going for a reckless kill…" Minato sprints toward to just where the Venus Eagle is about to make a corner turn. Orpheus follows Minato as they are about to collide with their opposition.

…_Clang…_

That…was the sound…Minato's scythe…falling to the ground…and there's another sound that could be heard…

The sound of Orpheus beating up the Venus Eagle with his mechanical fists…and Minato holding his victim down…

"Heh…when in doubt…a properly planned…reckless attack…is…the…way…to" Minato passes out just before he gets a chance to finish his sentence.

Shortly after the fight, Junpei and Yukari rush to Minato's side, not knowing if he's faring well against those Shadows. Once they get up there, they see Minato's lifeless body.

Yukari hesitates to check if he's alive or not, and Junpei is scared to know.

"…How's…Arisato?" asked Mitsuru nervously.

"I…I don't know…I'm not sure…if I want to know…" replied Junpei.

All is silent…until…

He starts tossing and turning like he's in bed. The others give a sigh of relief when they hear him grunting and mumbling "Why is it so cold?"

"He's fine Mitsuru-senpai…" said Junpei "He probably just fell asleep."

"…The Dark Hour does have that affect on everybody…it seems perfect to turn in for the night…"

"Yeah…I feel exhausted…hey wasn't there an Access Point on this floor?" asked Yukari.

"Indeed Takeba."

Junpei carries Minato over his shoulder…though trying to lift Minato was like trying to lift up a concrete block.

Later that night, Akihiko and Junpei had to drag Minato into his room, trying to very careful as not wake up Hamuko.

After all, how are you supposed to explain why you are dragging her aniki to an innocent, yet perceptive 10 year old girl?

**Orpheus is dragging himself to the apartment, when he gets an unexpected surprise. A new roommate, the Persona, Pixie. **

**Orpheus: WTF…get out of my house!**

**Pixie: Tee hee, sorry, but can't do that. Here, let me help you…RELAX!**

**Orpheus feels pretty sleepy and collapses on the floor. **

**Pixie: Ha ha ha, that was funny…Hmm? What's this? *Picks up a piece of paper* "The Observer 00 doesn't own the Persona series." Who the heck is the Observer "Also s/he apologizes for the conclusion of this chapter. They didn't know how to end this and felt a little drained. Also they apologize for how late this chapter went up, since s/he kinda got stuck. However, they will keep working on it until the very end. Also s/he saw the trailer for 'Shin Megami Tensei: Catherine" and might just reference it in future chapters." **

**Pixie: Sheesh, doesn't guy…er, girl…have a life…well, better drag this guy's body upstairs…*sigh* man, those Shadows were pretty tough though...i mean, they just seperated the group, just so they could take them out cheaply...like 'Left 4 Dead' where zombies try to seperate the group. Makes you wnbder how the other Shadows will try to seperate the group. OMG, this guy's body is so FREAKING heavy!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: What a mess…**

**This marks Chapter 10. This may sound boasting, but I feel really proud of myself. I normally don't hold onto projects very long. I suppose you may have questions that may not occur in your mind but wish to know. I will answer the most likely be FAQs.**

**Will there be pairings: Sadly, no. I could list a couple of good reasons as to why I don't do romantic (friendship is fine) pairings, but the main thing is that I just don't have the experience to actually write that kinda genre. Also I notices authors tend to use that genre to fall back on. To be honest, I want to see if my story could go on with any lovers (except Junpei and Chidori, since that's part of it.)**

**How would you describe Hamuko: Initially, I want her to be a bit like Nanako, only more observant and worrisome. But lately, she's been distancing herself from me. I admit, I don't even know what Hamuko will do next.**

**Where do you get the idea of the Kenji and Rio Community: Believe it or not, it was Persona 4's Daisuke and Kou's Community. I really liked how their Social Link was executed. Also, for some reason I see Rio in martial arts as oppose to tennis or volleyball. To me, it fits her character better…and also I want someone who could kick Minato's ass.**

**Where do I get the idea of the potential psychopath joke: Lets face it…when you see someone whipping out a gun to some random person, what are you supposed to think? Also Yukari is like more moody then the rest of the female cast combined…maybe.**

**Also I like to credit XoreandoX for beta-reading this chapter. Now this story will be more enjoyable. Thank you XoreandoX and everyone…HAPPY NEW YEAR!**

Minato wakes up in his dorm bedroom. He rubs his head and wonders how he got back…until he figures SEES just drag his body back here. He checks his watch…its 6:00 a.m. Minato doesn't feel like going back to sleep. He checks himself in the mirror and sees he has some bruises to his face. He quickly splashes some cold water and use a wet towel to reduce the swelling.

After cleaning his face up, Minato heads downstairs to see two things. One is Junpei is slouching on the couch without a care in a world. The second is Hamuko trying to make breakfast. She's currently cooking some eggs when she notices her aniki.

"Morning aniki!" greeted Hamuko cheerily.

"Morning Hamuko…what are you cooking?" asked Minato, though he already knew what his sister was up to.

"I'm making some breakfast for you, Jun-kun, Aki-kun, Mitsuru-san and…um…um…" Hamuko is struggling to remember the last person.

"Yukari-san too, right?" suggested Minato as Hamuko happily nods. Minato then asks "But shouldn't you be back in bed? I mean, your school starts in 3 hours."

Hamuko shakes her head and says "I woke up. I didn't feel like going back to sleep." Minato chuckles since that's what happen to him. Like brother and sister.

Just then Minato grabs Hamuko and both duck. Hamuko is confuse as to why until...

_BOOM!_

The egg exploded and is heading into the living room…into Junpei's general direction. The hot egg lands right on top of Junpei's face, just as he wakes up.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! IT BURNS! IT BURNS!" screamed Junpei "THIS MUST WHAT HELL FEELS LIKE!" He gets up to let the omelet fall to the floor…just in time for Minato to save it with a dish. Junpei quickly asks "How bad does it look?"

"Well, you're certainly suffering from third-degree burns alright…and it's everywhere on your face…but you're okay!" said Minato. He hears people rushing downstairs.

Akihiko, Mitsuru, and Yukari, still in their sleeping clothes, see what the commotion is all about.

"Did something happen for Iori to scream?" asked Mitsuru.

Hamuko is crying a little bit and says "*Sniff* It's my fault…I was trying to make some breakfast for everyone...but the egg exploded…and landed on Jun-kun's face."

Everyone is silent, except for Minato cutting the egg into six equal pieces. Junpei heads into the restroom for a bit.

"…I see. There's no need to cry Arisato-chan. We all make mistakes…and we appreciate your kindness." said Mitsuru reassuringly.

"Yeah, besides, Junpei won't blame you for his face. " said Minato to his sister.

Just then Junpei opens the restroom door to show he has it fixed his face. Boy, he really has something to show. His entire face, save his eyes and mouth, is cover by bandages.

"What?" asked Junpei "It's the only thing I could really do."

"…That's it. I can't go back to sleep now." said Yukari.

Toriumi gets ready her lesson plan and has everything categorized, until…

"Oh my goodness, what happened to you Iori?" asked Toriumi when she see's Junpei. How could she tell it was him…who else wears a purple cap?

"I can explain…"

"Please don't tell me…you got into a bad fight in which you have to set something on fire…but you burned yourself in the process, right?" theorized Toriumi.

"Nah, Junpei's face was the victim of a really hot egg that landed on his face." piped in Minato. Toriumi looks at him strangely and he continues, saying "No really, it did happen."

The rest of day was filled with Junpei getting looks of concern from students and teachers alike. Except for one teacher named Ekoda who accuses Junpei of being an arsonist. After school, Junpei decides to head home, not wanting people to look at him with pity. Minato was going to Uchiha Elementary until…

"Excuse me, Arisato?" said Toriumi to Minato.

"Hmm? What is it, Toriumi-sensei?"

"I was wondering if you applied for any sports club yet."

"Um, no, actually I didn't think about it."

Toriumi looks shocked and says "You really should join one at least. They're quite fun and provide you an activity for you to do.

"Sorry, not interested." Minato continues walking until…

"They're mandatory…they will affect your grade."

Minato stands still for a moment and asks "Where is the sports department at?"

After giving him directions, Minato scurries off. Toriumu chuckles ands says "Works every time."

"Let's see…I've already called Junpei to pick up Hamuko…and here waits my choices of sports…I have: tennis, swimming, volleyball, track, and kendo. Something tells me I should probably avoid swimming…I also have bad experiences from my job where I had to pick up balls from tennis courts." mumbled Minato as he looks at his choices. "I'll be cheating if I join in track…and I'm not sure if their volleyball club is co-ed… so that leaves me with the kendo club!"

Minato opens the door hard, making a sound loud enough for the members to stop training temporarily. He declares "I want to join your club. Just tell me where to sign up…but it better not be a contract! Specifically, ones that make me sign my life away."

A kendo member walks to Minato and asks, "Are you okay?"

"No, my whole student life is in stake."

The member takes off his mask to show he's a dark tanned young man. Probably a junior like Minato. "Well…we could use more members with the Kendo Club."

"Hey, Kaz, who is he?" asked a dark tanned girl wearing a track jacket and has a short ponytail.

"Um…are you the coach? Never mind…my name's Arisato Minato."

The kendo member, Kaz, seems surprise "Arisato Minato? You mean…as in the transfer student who is supposedly dating Takeba Yukari?"

Minato feels his stomach squirming when he hears that last part (Note to self: make sure to kill the rumor by proclaiming we're not dating and that I would jump out from the second floor window then date her.) "No, you got it all wrong."

"Whatever." said Kaz "Just remember…just because you joined in mid-season doesn't mean you can slack off." He said in an 'I dare you to' tone.

"Bring it on." said Minato as he picks a nearby kendo stick until Yuko stop him.

"Sorry, but for today, you will have to watch the regulars." she said.

(Damn it, I really want to kick some poor guy's ass today. And I don't feel like going to Tartarus today.) Thought Minato as he observes the others practicing. All of a sudden, he hears another glass breaking sound in his mind and in front of him is a card with a chariot being pulled by a white and black lion.

_ Thou art I…and I am thou…_

_ Thou hast established a new bond..._

_ Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Chariot Arcana._

(Well that was quick.)

Later that day, Minato comes back to the dorm to see Hamuko trying to make shrimp tempura with Akihiko.

"Hi." said Minato.

"Oh, welcome back aniki! Aki-kun and I are making shrimp tempura for everyone!" she said it so ecstatically.

"Don't worry…I'm keeping a close eye on her." said Akihiko.

"Well that's good, but you may want to prepare to duck if necessary." joked Minato…despite that he's crouching to the floor.

Amazingly enough, no kitchen accidents happened in spite of some burnt shrimp. Everyone (except for Minato) was hesitant to eat the shrimp. That is, until they discover it was Hamuko who made it. First person to try it out is Junpei. He slowly chews his food to make sure nothing is wrong.

"Well, Junpei?" asked Yukari nervously.

Junpei finally gulps it down and says, "It's good."

Everyone takes a bite and soon approves of it. Minato and Hamuko wash the dishes despite offers from everyone else. After that, Hamuko does her homework while Minato is studying his textbooks. He said good night to Hamuko before heading off to bed.

The next day, Minato is walking to school with Junpei. They were conversing with each other and that's when Minato learns something.

"An old bookstore just opened?" asked Minato

"Yeah. They're supposed to see all kinds of used books…novels, mangas, textbooks, you name it."

"…Guess I should check it out sometime…by the way Junpei…never mind…" said Minato.

"Huh? What is it?" asked Junpei.

"I was going to ask if you could pick up Hamuko, but I'm going to do it…if I don't want to be like Akihiko."

"…What do you mean by that?"

TWISTTWISTTWIST

After class, Minato is searching for the duo. He didn't have to look far since they're down the hallway. "Hey gu-" All of a sudden, Rio grabs Minato's arm and does a Judo Throw to the other side.

"Holy crap, Minato! Don't do that again." said Rio as she looks at her pained friend.

"Yeah, Rio doesn't like it when people sneak up to her." said Kenji.

"Oww…thanks for the warning…" Minato, and with a little help from Kenji and Rio, gets back up.

"So you want to hang out again? My treat as a way to apologize for what Rio did to you." offered Kenji.

"Oh come on, it wasn't that bad!" said Rio.

"I'll take the offer. But can you make room for four people?" asked Minato.

"Huh? Four people? Do you have someone in mind?" asked Rio.

"Yeah…my imoto-chan."

RUMBARUMBARUMMBA

The trio soon arrives at the steps of Uchiha Elementary. That is when Minato stops the group.

"Okay in one minute, the bell will ring. Now it is advised that you stay next to the tree cause-" Minato got cut off by the sound of the bell ringing. He also sees Kenji and Rio running off.

"Don't worry man, we got this under cont-AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Both of them were caught off guard as they were run over by hundreds of excited school kids. When the dust clears, both Rio and Kenji are lying down on the ground with their clothes dirty.

"You guys okay?" asked Minato.

"Ohhhh, I think one of them got me in the face." said Rio as she gets up.

"Ah ha ha ha ha, that's nothing. I think a couple of them got me below the belt." laughed Kenji so the pain won't be so bad.

"I tried to warn you. The kids always come out in a stampede." He helps Kenji up and looks over to Rio "I guess we're even now, right?"

"Aniki!" cried out Hamuko, as she runs to her brother excitingly and hugs him.

"Hey Hamuko, how was school?"

"It was great…" she sees Kenji and Rio staring at them "Um, aniki, who are they?"

"Those are aniki's new friends, Kenji and Rio. Kenji, Rio this is my imoto-chan, Hamuko." introduce Minato to his family and friends.

"Hey there Hamuko-chan." greeted Kenji until Rio pulls him in.

"Give us a second Minato." said Rio as she whispers into Kenji's ear "Hey…do you think this is really Minato's little sister?"

"Huh? What do you mean by that Rio?" asked Kenji.

"I mean…they look totally different. Hair color and eye color and all that…"

"…Now that you mention it…they really don't look similar enough to be siblings…maybe surrogates?"

"Ummm…what are you two talking about?" asked Hamuko.

"N-Nothing Hamuko-chan! Hey, are you hungry? Cause I know a great ramen shop." offered Kenji. Hamuko seems surprise.

"Really? I could go with you?"

"Of course and Kenji will pay." said Minato. Hamuko is quite happy.

RUMBARUMBARUMBA

At Hagakure, the four of them are enjoying some ramen. Course, that is when Kenji and Rio learn something about Minato.

"Whoa…your aniki was a mahjong dealer?" asked Kenji in awe.

"Yeah…though he always carried a scarf…even when it's not cold…" Hamuko wonders for a little bit, but Rio stops her.

"Don't Hamuko-chan…you're better off not knowing…" said Rio.

"…Okay Rio-san." The group continues to eat their ramen until Hamuko asks "Um…Kenji-san…are you special to Rio?"

"Hmm…'special'?" asked Kenji "That depends…as in my 'special one'…then no."

"Kenji! Don't give the girl any ideas!" snapped Rio.

"…Nope, I'm definitely sure we're not lovers."

"I'm sure Hamuko meant, 'what is Rio to you'?" said Minato.

"Oh that kind of special! Well…" Kenji ponders for a moment "You could say Rio is my best friend."

"In the whole world?" asked Hamuko.

"…Of course…she's like, the greatest friend I'll ever have." said Kenji.

"Heh heh heh…funny. I couldn't possibly be your best friend. You often hang out with others." said Rio as she slurps her ramen.

"Are you kidding Rio? You and I have been best friends since primary school!" responded a shocked Kenji.

"Hey, I was just joking." laughed Rio.

"Um…how did you two became friends in the first place?" asked Hamuko. Suddenly Rio stops laughing and Kenji just stares at his half-full bowl.

"I…I really don't know…" replied Rio.

"…Honestly…I don't remember…it's been so long…that I forgot." said Kenji. He quickly smiles and says, "But tell you what: I'll give you an answer once I remember."

The group finishes their ramen, and Rio is willing to buy some more for Minato and Hamuko to take back to the dorm.

_Crack!_

_ The Kenji and Rio Social Link has reached level 2!_

(What the-Well certainly a nice change of pace from the ominous voice.) thought Minato as he waves goodbye to his new friends. "Well that was fun, right Hamuko?"

"It was great!" smiled Hamuko "I hope we get to hang out again!"

"Me too Hamuko. I'd like to get to know Kenji and Rio a bit more."

**Orpheus wakes up as a hobo.**

**Orpheus: Oh no! I'm now a hobo! How could things possibly get worst? Now I have nothing to defend against the imminent alien threat! Wait…if I do the disclaimer…I'll have my stuff back…okay…The Observe 00 doesn't own anything!**

***Turns into the FeMC version***

**Orpheus: Nor does anyone else. *Transform into his regular self* So please review…the amount of money I get is determined by your reviews. Also, the author likes to apologize for the short chapter. Now see you later. Also…**

**HAPPY NEW YEAR!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: **

**HAPPY NEW YEARS! By the time you're reading this, it would be 3 weeks after New Years. Also…I watch the trailer of Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney…again! I just get a nerdgasm whenever I watched this.**

**On a totally unrelated note…I don't find Square Enix's games to be so good anymore. Yes I write Kingdom Hearts, but…I don't know…maybe I got so used to Persona and other games (just for the record I DIDN'T cry when Xion died in 356/2 Days, but felt something at the end of Phoenix Wright: Justice for All). But enough rambling!**

4/25/09

Minato just got out of school and is heading to Uchiha Elementary since no one is available to pick Hamuko up. That or they don't want to get maul by kids.

Maybe bothactually.

Minato stays close to the tree and lets the stampede pass. There he sees Hamuko waiting at the front entrance.

"Hi aniki!" she waves excitingly.

"Hey Hamu-"Minato stops in mid-sentence for a very good reason. Hamuko has a nasty cut on her cheek. "AAAHHHH! Hamuko, what happened? You're bleeding!"

"Huh?" Hamuko feels around her cheek and simply says, "Don't worry aniki…it doesn't hurt that much…"

"Just hold on Hamuko! I'm going to see if could borrow some disinfectant and a band aid!"

"Um, aniki?" Hamuko couldn't get the words out soon enough for Minato, who is already racing to the nurse's office in search (or the conservatism's saying…ransack) for those two things. Once he located what he was looking for, he quickly heads back, with a clean cloth, to the entrance where Hamuko is waiting.

"Hold on Hamuko…this might sting a little." he cleans the blood off, applies the disinfectant, and puts the band aid on.

"Thanks aniki. But I was okay…really…" said Hamuko in her reassuring tone for a 10 year old.

"Maybe…but I'm your aniki…I have to look after you…" Minato said to his sister at eye level. "So…anyplace you want to go today?"

Hamuko looks at her brother. "R-Really aniki?"

"Sure…I have a free day after all."

TWISTTWISTTWIST

Hamuko and Minato head to Iwatodai Station, since this seems to be Hamuko's new favorite place. The two of them try out some takoyaki (Minato underestimated the hotness of the octopus snack). After that, the two of them decided to check out a bookstore called "Bookworms".

The inside of the store is incredibly musty. Piles of books lay all around the floor in their respective categories. The lighting is…dim, at best. An old man who is looking at his pipe seems excited to see the siblings here.

"Welcome." said the man cheerily.

(My god…if his voice sounded more intrigued…he could be the next Igor) thought Minato.

"What would you two kids like today? We have fresh mackerel." said the man.

An old woman appears from the back room and quickly apologizes "Sorry we don't sell any fish here."

"Aniki…" whispered Hamuko "This man is strange."

"Hamuko, it's impolite to point at other people."

"H ha ha, what a nice girl you are. And you sonny…aren't you a student at Gekkoukan High?"

"Um…yeah, I am…mister."

The old man laughs even harder and says "'Mister…' that makes me feel so much older."

"But…aren't you…" Hamuko tries to say something, but Minato tells her.

"Hamuko, people don't like to be reminded as how old they are." said Minato.

"Well you two wouldn't happen to know a Persimmon Tree?"

"Persimmon Tree?" repeated Minato in confusion.

"Yup…the one in the courtyard, if I recalled correctly. Hoo…" the old man seems a little tired. He retreats into the backroom and his snoring could be heard.

The old woman looks at the siblings and says, "I'm sorry dears, but we're about to close in for the day. Please come back tomorrow…"

Minato and Hamuko leave as quickly as they can.

RUMBARUMBARUMBA

"So, uh, who is going to cook tonight?" asked Junpei.

"Um…to be honest…I'm not too confident in my cooking." stated Yukari.

"…I never bother to learn how to cook…and my best friend is a cook for goodness sake." mumbled Akihiko.

"…I once tried my hand in cooking…but the result…was less than adequate." admitted Mitsuru.

Everyone grumbles for a bit until they look at Minato. Knowing what everyone is thinking, Minato quickly said, "I can't cook anything except for really simple meals, and those taste bland at best, otherwise…it's just horrible."

Hamuko raises her hand and asks, "Can I cook?"

Everyone sweat drops at the suggestion until Minato says, "If we keep a watchful eye as to what she's doing…then we won't have another incident like yesterday."

Everyone eventually warms up to the idea and they all head to the kitchen.

I mean, what could possibly go wrong?

RUMBARUMBARUMBA

Turns out, it was pretty painful. The dish is simple…fried rice over an omelet. It was supposed to be a simple dish…let me explain:

Mitsuru, on more than one occasion, accidentally nicked her elegant fingers to the sharpened stainless steel knife. Her finger and hands are covered in band-aids.

Akihiko was supposed to crack the eggs. Unfortunately, his full strength hasn't returned yet. He sometimes threw eggs because the nerve impulses are out of whack. He probably got Yukari at least 4 times.

Yukari was making rice in the warm water. However, she forgot to readjust the heat, so it became very hot. When she got hit by an egg, one of them blinded her and causing her to trip and spill the hot water…onto Junpei (Minato doesn't think it was an accident, and believes Yukari is out for Junpei's blood.)

Minato…just cleaned up the mess and made sure Hamuko doesn't do anything too unusual.

The final product…the dish was made and it turns out okay.

Everyone was happy…except for Junpei, who had to wrap his face with bandages all over again.

Later that night, everyone said their good nights except for few late nighters (Akihiko, Junpei, and Mitsuru.)

TWISTTWISTTWIST

Next morning, Minato wakes up with a horrible headache. His body didn't respond automatically, he is seeing double, and feels very tired.

(Damn it…I can't blackout now…or ever.) Minato holds onto his head and staggers to his closet and reaches for his uniform. He puts it over his sleeping clothes, but doesn't bother to zip his jacket in. Neither did he fix his hair and tie his shoes. He staggers across the seemingly endless hallway to the stairs, only to seem to be more endless with each step.

Minato blinks for a moment and suddenly finds himself at the front of the school. Looks like it happened again.

(Sheesh, I really need to relax…otherwise, I'll just be a zombie…)

RUMBARUMBARUMBA

Today's lesson was pretty boring and the whole school day just seems so slow. Minato just doesn't feel right mentally.

After class was over, Minato feels like going straight home (Junpei, again, volunteers to pick up Hamuko) until he went astray and soon finds himself at the school's courtyard. Personally, he never ate lunch over there since it seems like a hassle.

However, he notices a Persimmon tree that is obviously been handled with care. He rarely sees plants well taken care of such as the tree. This is mainly due to the fact that whenever Minato tries to grow one, the plant usually ends up dying.

Minato thinks about the old couple of yesterday and decides to snatch a leaf from it. Too bad he didn't know it was against school rules to take leaves out of plants in this courtyard.

"Hey…somebody stop that leaf-snatcher!"

"Oh crap, it's the cops!" Minato runs out of the school and dives for the train station just in time to get away from the patrols.

TWISTTWISTTWIST

Minato stumbles his way to Bookworms where the old couple is restocking. The old man is the first to notice him and cheerily said, "Hey there kiddo. Didn't you come by yesterday with your sister?"

"Yes…that's true. By the way old timer…does this leaf mean anything to you?"

"Oh! Is this a leaf from that persimmon tree? It must have grown quite a bit to produce such splendid leaves..." cried the old man.

"Wait…did you really just wanted to show it to us?"

"No…I'm just here for the manga with yuri couples in it…of course I did." said Minato.

"I've been meaning to go see that tree for a while now. But I'm not sure if these stumpy old legs will make it that far…That wasn't meant to be a pun. You know…'stumpy' 'tree stumps'…you catch my drift lad?"

(…Oh! That was a rather good pun. Apparently people make more fun puns when they don't try…)

"…That was quite good dear. My name is Mitsuko and that is my husband, Bunkichi."

"Nice to meet you…my name is…Arisato Minato…and Mr. Bunkichi, wasn't it? You better treasure that leaf…"

"Ha ha ha, was it because the hall monitors chased you out?" laughed Bunkichi "That used to happen to me all the time!"

"It is nice to meet you. Please come again…" said Mitsuko.

_Crack!_

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a_

_Persona of the Hierophant Arcana... You have established a new Social Link! It's getting dark out._

(What the hell? I thought Social Links only work for friends…) thought Minato (…I guess I can really choose who I could socialize with…need to ask Igor with this Social Link business.) Minato waves his goodbye to the nice couple. He realizes he has to wait for the next train stop for about 1 hour. Minato grumbles because he left his Mp3 back to the dorm and his phone is way too old to do anything but make calls.

Sighing, Minato hears the sounds of a fight around a corner. He stands up for a moment…thinks about it for a moment…and then sits down.

(No…I promised Hamuko I wouldn't do anything dangerous without a good reason…) Minato starts to hum a tune from the Wangan series until he faintly hears…

"…I didn't…it was an accident…I… just wanted to feed the cat…"

Minato checks his skull watch. Only 26 more minutes until his train arrives. He stands upright and cracks his knuckles.

"Looks like I got some time to kill…and a reason to get involved in this." said Minato.

RUMBARUMBARUMBA

Minato turns to the corner and heads into an alleyway. He peeks into the fighting and is immediately disgusted at what he is seeing… three punks beating up a smaller student who is trying to protect the cat.

"What now bitch? Ready to give up that thing?" asked a punk with some chains.

"No…no…" whispered a kid with a plaid uniform.

"Hmph…don't know why would you care about something this worthless?" said another punk with a mohawk.

"Hey, guys…I know what to do…" said a punk who he pulls out a knife. The insignificant student cringes at the blade.

"Now be a good kitty and don't move…" the punk edges in very close and raises his knife…

_Thunk!_

The knife punk falls back, dropping his knife to the ground. The item responsible was…a pot (the same kind use to plant flowers).

"Try to take one stab at the guy AND the cat and I'll pay you back with garbage." said Minato at the end of the alley.

"Pfft, it's none of your business, pretty boy." said the Mohawk punk as he charges in to punch Minato in the face.

Minato ducks under the guy's attack and punches him in the stomach. He continues by raising the punk's head and punches him into the nose.

The other punk with the chains picks up the knife and tries to stab Minato. Minato lets go of his current victim and grabs the other's forearm. Still, the knife is too dangerously close to Minato's forehead, and Minato's opponent is putting in more pressure forcing Minato to resist even more. He desperately steps on the guy's foot very hard and it works. The pain in the toes was brief, but it gave Minato a chance to pay him back by tossing an empty trash can at him.

Minato grabs the knife to make sure they don't try to do something like that for awhile, when suddenly the guy with the Mohawk decides to attack Minato from the back. Minato staggers away, and manages to throw the knife into the sewage drain. The two of them soon engage in fist fight.

Minato throws a hook punch, but the guy just ducks and hits him with an uppercut. Minato stumbles back, and hits the wall behind him. The punk throws a straight punch only for Minato to block it. Minato uses his free hand to block an incoming headbutt. However, that guy plays dirty and knees Minato into the groin.

Minato falls down, but not without bringing the guy down to the ground. The thug gets desperate and grabs a wine bottle and breaks it. He tries to stab Minato, but his target rolls out of the way. Minato gets up along with his opponent. He continuously dodges the sharp edges of the bottle until he stumbles into a trash can.

Minato opens the trash can and starts throwing random items at the punk. Empty bottles, soda cans, broken pieces of appliances, old toys, and machinery was flying towards the poor guy. He grabs hold onto a trash bag…his biggest mistake and begins to wield the trash can as a club and strikes him a couple of times. Finishing it all, Minato plunges the trash can over his victim's body and kicks him off.

Minato nonchalantly checks his watch and gets nervous. "Oh crap! I only have 6 minutes left!" He heads off to the train station just in time to catch the last stop. The boy and the kitty don't know what to make of this.

When Minato finally returns to the dorm, he was greeted with Junpei's friendly hello, Yukari's greeting, Akihiko's question, and Hamuko's smile, and all none the wiser to what happened just 30 minutes ago.

Back in the alleyway, one of the punks gets up in the dead of night…wondering where his knife went. He became surprise when he sees two empty coffins. He becomes unnerved by the event, but soon realizes _his hand is oozing out black liquid._

Soon, his entire body was engulfed by the strange liquid, and, to anyone in the vicinity, could only hear his cries of pure torture to the moon.

**Orpheus: Sorry it took so long guys, but with exams, trying to maintain good grades in Honors, and…wait…that's the Observer's lines! Why am I'm reading his! Oh well… next chapter! More exploration of Tartarus. However, before we log off, the Observer has two requests…**

**1: Get a complete list of dates in Persona 3! The scripts he can do. Dates he cannot and can't wait for XorreandoX (sorry man) for the dates!**

**2: Knowing if their taking WAY too long to get the Full Moon boss. Feedback is a must for this fic.**

**Also, if it seems like Minato isn't fighting very well…it's because he is a little bit out of practice. Fighting in Tartarus and fighting in the real world are different (in my head) but I'll try to improve on it.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**PAIN!**

**Before we get started, I think I should respond to those generous reviewers.**

**Fanfic Reader Guy: Thank you for those dates! To me, they're godsend for me. Because I don't own a PS2 and the let's player can't do anymore videos, I basically had to read the story in megami tensei wiki. THANK YOU!**

**AnimeCrazy88: That guy Minato was trying to protect…he's just a random passerby who was trying to protect a kitty. Sometimes, Minato rolls like that.**

**Rewritten Ennui: The grammar is bad? I know I'm not the best in grammar, but…maybe I should look at my chapters again. And just to let you know, Minato CAN cook. It's just he can't make complicated dishes besides cooking rice, meat, and vegetables.**

**Also, I guess I've been neglecting to mention, but Minato is suffering from chronic blackouts. That's why he doesn't fight as well in Tartarus…the fatigue will add to Minato's physical and mental burden (remember he had to run a lot of jobs and doesn't get enough rest)**

4/30

Tonight is another outing for Tartarus. Mitsuru believes that if they could reach the top of the tower, they will find the answers to the Dark Hour and how to get rid of it once and for all. With their bus, they make it to the school just as the Dark Hour occurs, before it shuts down.

"…You know what I don't get." said Junpei as the group gets out of the bus.

"Hm..what is it?" asked Yukari.

"…Why do vehicles turn off when Dark Hour hits. I mean, it's not like it runs on electricity."

"Easy…it's because the battery is what drives the vehicle to use gasoline." explained Minato as he rubs his head "Besides, I think Ikutsuki—san made it a hybrid."

"…Whoa…Minato-kun…where did you learn that from?" asked Yukari.

"Trust me when I say this…when you're desperate for money, you will do ALMOST anything just to make 5000 yen." said Minato as he walks to Tartarus. Junpei follows but Yukari stops him.

"Hey, what did he mean?" asked Yukari "Why do you think he needed the money?"

"Who knows Yuka-tan…your guess is as good as mine…" Junpei recalls what Minato told him "All I know was that he used to be a bodyguard for the Yakuza."

"W-What?"

RUMBARUMBARUMBA

**Somewhere in Tartarus…**

Minato, Junpei, and Yukari are scaling up their way Tartarus while vanquishing the Shadows. However, in one particular battle…

Minato sees 3 floating cards: one has the image of a red sword, another showing a coin, and the last card showing a picture of a lady with wings. However before he can get a better grasp of what they are, they flip themselves over and shuffle around back and forth.

(What the hell? Wait, this happened to me already…I guess I'll take the lady with the wings.) With his mind only, Minato chose the card on the left to reveal what he wished for.

_"Great, another freeloader." _said a voice in Minato's head.

_"Oh come on. Don't be a meanie." _said a tiny voice.

(I'm not even going to ask what is going on anymore.) thought Minato.

TWISTTWISTTWIST

The group continues going up in the tower. As they progress, Minato collected more of those cards which includes: a lady with devil wings, some green goob, the popular Jack Frost (in all honesty, Minato and Hamuko prefer the Pyro Jack), and some sort of brain with tentacles. However, he didn't use them yet.

Until they climb to that one particular floor…

The group is fighting some Cupid Shadows (specifically Obsessed Cupids.) All is going well…until…

An arrow hits Yukari right into the chest. She stops aiming at the Shadow, her face bright with pink, and slowly turns around…to Junpei.

"Whoa, Yuka-tan…why are you looking me like that?" asked Junpei uneasily. Yukari only giggles like a mad person as she aims her arrow to Junpei. "Whoa, Yuka-tan! Wait! What did I do to-" Junpei dodges it at the last second, wondering why Yukari will do such a thing.

"Oh…my…god…the worst case scenario…" said Minato to no one in particular "Yukari…has revealed her true nature!"

"Arisato, can you hear me?" asked Mitsuru over to his headset "Takeba has been inflicted with Charm, causing her to attack you and Iori while healing the enemy."

"…Wait, what?" asked Minato.

"Basically, just kill the Obsessed Cupid to rid of the ailment."

"Oh, okay…hey Junpei! Distract Yukari, while I get Orpheus to kill that Shadow." ordered Minato as he summons the Master of Strings for battle.

"What? How hell am I supposed to do tha-" Junpei feels a strong gust of wind hitting him from behind causing him to fall flat onto his face. He swallows the pain and holds onto his leg.

Orpheus tries a leg sweep against the Obsessed Cupid, but the Shadow dodges Orpheus's attack effortlessly. Orpheus then tried sending out several large fireballs to his target…yet miraculously the Cupid Shadow dodges all of it.

"What the hell? Just die already!" shouted Minato.

_"Quick Minato, switch to me!" _said the voice in his head.

"What the-"

_"I can use Sukaja to amplify your reflexes."_ said the voice.

_"Angel, Minato doesn't know how to effectively switch Personae right now."_ said the chibi voice.

"Whoa, slow down! I-" Minato fell to the ground when Junpei was thrown into his back.

"Hey…can…you hurry up? I don't…know how…much more of a beating I can take…I have low pain tolerance…" said Junpei who looks to be in a severe amount of pain.

Minato nods as he takes in some oxygen as he tries to remember what Angel is supposed to look like. He hears a light cracking sound echoing in his head. He raises his Evoker and yells out,

"ANGEL!" The sharp noise of glass breaking summons the Persona, the holy but not very well dressed, Angel.

"What the hell?" shouted Junpei as he dodges another arrow from Yukari.

The Persona, Angel, creates a green pentagram underneath Minato and herself. Minato didn't have a clue as to what is going on, nor does he want to. He doesn't feel all that different… in fact his head is starting to hurt a little, but not too much…overall, nothing has change for Minato.

"Er…sorry for wasting your time Jun-" Minato turns his head to see Junpei only to be taken back. You would be to if you're seeing what Minato is seeing…

…The battle between Junpei and Yukari is like a still picture animation, with the arrow slowly moving at the target.

…Okay, I was exaggerating a little bit. Still, it was pretty slow in Minato's mind. He looks at Angel who is nodding sagely and swings his scythe. The Obsessed Cupid didn't know what hit him as he staggers back with black liquid oozing out. Angel makes an imaginary circle with her hands, causing a gust of wind to come out from behind her. And for good measure, Minato swings the bladed part of his scythe right into the Shadow's mask to make sure it dies, and watches it disintegrating into a fine black mist.

Junpei is barely catching his breath when Yukari snaps out of the trance, where she is wondering what just happened.

"Ow…my head…hey Minato, was I-"Yukari didn't get to finish her question for she and Junpei hear a thud sound. They turn to see Minato lying on the ground.

For Minato, all he could hear was somebody shouting his name and the faint traces of footsteps.

He blacked out once again.

… … … … …

_ Minato nervously steps into the old, yet somehow fashionable building that used to be a hotel. He looks around to see men much, MUCH, older than the 12 year old, and really wishes he doesn't do this. _

_ But how else was he going to make money to feed his little sister?_

_ Minato struts over to them the best that he can, but can't help but be nervous that almost everyone has a sub-machine gun ready, and for those who don't have a firearm, they're the ones with katanas, ninjatos, mini-axes, lances, and the like._

_ He stops when he sees an old man…presumably in his late forties…smoking…except no smoke is coming from it. His long, shaggy, silver hair and his grim looking face give Minato the impression that he is not someone who is not to be trifled with._

_ "What do you want?" he asked roughly._

_ Minato could practically feel his hands trembling and brimming with sweat…but he has to remain strong for his sister. He deepens his voice and says, "My name is Arisato. Arisato Minato…age 20. I'm here to get a job a bodyguard."_

… … … … …

"Dude wake up!" shouted Junpei a minute after Minato collapses. Minato begins to stir and rubs his head.

"Ow…what happened guys?" asked Minato as he grabs his scythe.

"You…um…fainted…" said Yukari "Right after that new Persona shows up…were you the one who summoned her?"

"Huh?" Minato's eyes hurt from the dim lighting as he tries to focus. "You mean Angel? Yeah, that was me. Go ahead and arrest m-"

"Arisato! Are you okay?" shouted Mitsuru over the headphones.

"Ow…Mitsuru…could you please turn down the volume…it hurts my head…"

"My apologies…but you suddenly blacked out…after summoning a new Persona…"

"Yeah…just how you got that Persona?" asked Junpei "Unless…you're some sort of schizophrenic…"

"What…no…I'm not a schizophrenic… at least, I don't think so." said Minato.

"Well whatever the case may be, this is good news. We now have somebody who can use multiple Personae with ease."

"Yeah…looks like I'm the jack of all trades guy…just like when I was younger." said Minato "Okay guys, we're going up…"

TWISTTWISTTWIST

Minato, Yukari, and Junpei are making good progress as they killed many Shadows (they even come across a rare gold Maya which Junpei pounces on and they receive a new katana).

Mitsuru states that she can feel a powerful Shadow up there. When Minato checks to see if everyone is alright, they all give a thumbs up.

The Shadows they are going to fight are…tables…with masks…controlling silverware…and are on fire. No seriously, that's what they are.

"…Tables? For real?" asked Minato.

"Careful Arisato! These Shadows can use high level flame spells…enough to bring down a person in two hits." warned Mitsuru.

"Oh great…third-degree burns…the best kind of burns…" sigh Minato as he turns to Junpei "Listen man, we need you to be the meatshield."

"What? Why me?" asked Junpei.

"…You're the only one who has resistance to fire, right?" asked Yukari.

"But that doesn't mean I have to your human shield! I have low pain tolerance!" shouted Junpei

"Well…" said Yukari, but she doesn't have enough time to finish her statement as she dodges a lance-shape fire attack.

Minato bends back to avoid some serious burns. He then pulls out his Evoker to summon Angel. Yukari does the same thing and summons Io. The two Personae twirl their hand around to release a strong gust of wind…hopefully to put out the fire.

It didn't work, in fact it just made things worse .The Garu spell actually made the flames grow bigger and more ferocious and in the midst of all that, Junpei was sent flying into a wall.

"Um…Minato?" asked Yukari.

"…New plan…just don't get hit by the fire and get Junpei back on his feet!" Minato tries to figure out how to switch Personae again. (Lets see…I had to call the image of Angel…and when I used my Evoker, I got her. So maybe if I do the same thing with Orpheus…) Minato conjures the image of the Master of Strings…

_Crack!_

Angel disappears in a shroud of blue mist, and in her place is Orpheus…just as he gets a full blast of an Agilao spell.

"Great timing…" Orpheus gets back up and runs to his foes. He pulls out his lyre and swings it like a bat. The Laughing Table dodges it by…doing nothing really. In fact, the only thing the lyre ever hit was the flames.

Yukari just finished healing Junpei and is right behind him since her arrows will burn before they can make contact with the Laughing Table, and to help improve their chances of survival, Yukari summons Io and use the cow's skull part as their fortress. Junpei gets Hermes to slice and dice with his wings.

It didn't work since the Laughing Tables use the smoke from their flames to create a smokescreen, causing Hermes to blindly punch, kick, and slice anything that resembles fire. Junpei decides to get out of Io and charges in. Minato gets Angel back to blow out the smoke.

Then, for some reason, there are 2 more Laughing Tables.

"What the hell?" shouted Junpei. "When did their friends arrive?"

"Everyone, can you hear me?" shouted Mitsuru over the headset "Get behind Takeba! The enemy is charging for an Agilao spell!" Without hesitation, Minato and Junpei get behind Io.

The Laughing Tables shoot out intense flames causing Io to cry out in pain. Likewise, Yukari starts to feel hot, and feels like she's coming down with a horrible fever. One could even hear Io whimpering in her burning wounds.

"Yuka-tan! How are you holding up?" asked Junpei as he gets Yukari back up.

"Not so good…I don't feel well."

Minato bites his lips. He knows he has to keep fighting. But what can he do? He figured he could just switch out to Jack Frost, but maybe the Shadows will just gang up on him. He can't rely on Yukari to give the group anymore cover. He can't use his new Personae without putting everyone at risk.

But he has got to do something. For according to Mitsuru, the Laughing Tables are charging up again.

Minato pulls out his Evoker and points to his head. He is about to pull the trigger when he feels light-headed. He grits his teeth as he summons Orpheus.

…Something is not right though.

The blue mist that only the user is aware of is darker and blacker. There wasn't any sound of glass cracking. The shards look very tainted with black.

_Thou art I…and I am thou…_

This voice…sounds strangely familiar to Minato. He can't remember where, but he's sure he heard it from before.

_From the darkest depths of your soul…I…have awakened._

A Persona materializes onto the field. Its head seems to possess many wounds, and on the sides; its white hair is mingled with the red blood. The body is nothing more than rusted metal, and on it's back is a gray lyre with several strings broken. On one of his hands, the fingers were replaced with blood-stained knives. It spoke from the speaker attatched to the stomach.

_I am Orpheus…the Fallen Musician._

"What the-" stuttered Yukari as she and Junpei looks at 'Orpheus'. Minato is not sure what the hell is going on anymore as the Persona's eye glares at the Laughing Tables. With a flash, Orpheus appears right in front a Laughing Table…and stabs its mask with his knife fingers. Orpheus repeats the process several times until the Shadow died.

Orpheus soon back flips to escape an Agilao spell and knees the next Table in the mask while ignoring its flames. Orpheus stabs its mask repeatedly once again, and just before the Shadow gets to die, Orpheus lifts it up and uses it as a shield to block some flying kitchenware. He then throws the Shadow into another Laughing Table before moving on.

The remaining two Laughing Tables fire Agilao spells at Orpheus, while Orpheus does _nothing_. The flames just simply phased past him like he was not even there, and in response to their attack pulls out his lyre and seems to prepare himself for combat once again.

(Geez…this is probably how I would've fight…before my blackouts…got a hold of me…) thought Minato as he fights back another headache (Not now…can't faint yet…but what is this sensation…and why does the word come into mind?) Minato feels something stirring up inside of him. He smiles manically for no reason as he whispers one word.

"…Mudo…"

Orpheus makes a purple pentagram appear beneath one of the Laughing Tables, and when the pentagram finishes forming The Laughing Table totally stops…and bursts into a cloud of never-ending darkness. Minato can't help but suppress a psychotic smile as his eyes turn red.

Orpheus takes out his lyre and strums the strings with his knife-like fingers. The Shadow shrieks as the sound reaches to it, making it succumb to their own demise.

That was it. Not a single Shadow in sight.

"…Arisato…are you okay?" asked Mitsuru "I sensed your Persona's power, but it's different from what I know…"

Minato feels like he's about to fall over. "I…I really have no clue. But I know this…we're done for tonight."

"…Yeah man…" said Junpei "I'm feeling bushed. I'm not sure if we should go to Tartarus next week."

"Well then, return to the Access Point." ordered Mitsuru.

Yukari is lying down on the floor, trying to catch her breath. "Don't worry about me you two. I'll catch up." Minato and Junpei shrug as they walk to the A.P.

As soon as Yukari is sure they're out of range from sound, she calls in Mitsuru. "Hey Kirijo-senpai, could you check on Minato-kun's psychological profile?"

"Hm? May I ask what is your reason is Takeba?"

"Well…to be honest…" Yukari lowers her voice a little bit "I think Minato-kun could potentially be a psychopath and the only thing holding him back is his sister."

"…How long did you suspect it?"

"…I guess…the day after he and Hamuko-chan arrived…"

RUMBARUMBARUMBA

"Hey, dude, can I ask you something?" said Junpei as he and Minato are standing right in front of the A.P.

"Sure, fire away."

"Well…" from Junpei's expression, he isn't thinking anything perverted "…why did you shouted Yuka-tan realizing her 'true nature'?"

Minato was about to answer until he looks around the corner and sighs. "Okay, I'll make this quick: I think…Yukari is potentially a psychopath waiting to happen. But that's all I can really tell you for now."

Junpei looks terrified as he gets drag by Minato.

Unknown to everyone, there has been an observer who was meticulously jotting down notes.

_ Journal log: I do believe today's battle gave me some insight. The boy with the cap has the Fire affinity and can't sit still for a moment. His pain tolerance is very low, meaning while he can survive the attack, he'll flinch at even the slightest things._

_ The girl in the pink cardigan is too much trouble for me. An Air affinity will practically serve no purpose in my experiments. She'll also need a mental change to endure the experiments. She does show potential, but I don't think she's worth it for the powers._

_ The blue haired boy intrigues me. His natural affinity is Darkness, as evidenced by the "Fallen Musician". I also detected he is carrying mass amounts of energy, though he doesn't seem to be able to tap into it fully yet. He is ALMOST perfect, but what really makes me hesitate is the fact that he is currently suffering from multiple blackouts._

_ Perhaps if he were to face THAT Shadow, my confidence will surely increase and I can-NO! My pen is running out of ink! I need to find mo-_

**Orpheus: Strange ending. Also the Observer is sorry about making you wait for so long. He recently starts dabbling in Fire Emblem. And don't worry about what the guy's notebooks. Also this chapter gave you insight to Minato's past, starting with how he got his job as a Yakuza bodyguard. The author will continue doing that unless you object to that. Also if giving Personae darker selves is a bad idea, just tell him how he can improve on the idea.**

**Also, should he introduce an OC as part of the story? Your comments will mean the world to him. See you until my next payment.**

**Also credit to XoreandoX ! He's such a good reviewer and chosen better word choices then I did.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

**For the love of Amaterasu**

…**Wow…can't believe my story is actually getting recognition. Granted it's a multi-chapter one, but I never expect this many people to get it into it. Feels like I'm ripping off from other people. And now I should respond to you guys.**

**NightmareSyndrom: Yeah…though I was worried it might get be frowned upon. The Dark Personae and all**

**Rewritten Ennui: Minato's past isn't exactly central to this fic, but we all like to give back stories to characters that don't have a fully explained one to begin with. Also I like to approach this by making you guess and come up with hypotheses instead of spoon feeding it to you.**

**XoreandoX: Thanks again for beta reading. Also, I totally forgot about the barrier being desks. Thanks. Also, you're correct…at age 12, Minato couldn't pass off as a midget. Makes you wonder…**

**AnimeCrazy88: It's not Ikutsuki. That was the OC I was talking about. **

**DropletOfSour: Thank you for your criticism. Though…how do I work on execution? Also, if you're worried about the OC and the Dark Personae…just relax…I won't be using those two a lot…maybe every couple chapters…or when it seems appropriate. Also, to be fair, Minato DID have other jobs prior to the bodyguard one. **

**XoreandoX: Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to beta-read. You really thought of better word choices then me. I truly appreciate it this.**

**If it may seem like I'm not doing as well as I used to…then I hope I'm not suffering from "writer's drought".**

Minato is having a hard time just listening to Ekoda's lecture, given what happened last night in Tartarus. Now all he wishes he could just do is fall asleep. Of course if he was to get caught dozing off he'll just end up getting another private lecture from Ekoda after class.

Instead he glances over to Junpei and Yukari to see how they're holding up. Surprisingly Junpei seems wide awake, though he is still grimacing in pain from his injuries. Yukari looks incredibly drowsy and looks as though she could just sleep here in class until Tartarus appears again.

This, in Minato's mind, sounds like an excellent idea for that would mean one less psychopath for the world to deal with.

Another hour later, the bell rings signaling the end of school. Junpei walks over to Minato grinning painfully.

"Um…Junpei…something wrong?" asked Minato.

"Heh heh…ow…sorry Minato…my body is still kinda sore from last night… but I'm fine…really!" said Junpei as he pumps his arm.

"Well don't push yourself. Cause if you die…I'll have to look for a new best friend." said Minato solemnly.

…

…

…

"You're serious, aren't you?" ask Junpei.

"Yup." said Minato as he notices a piece of paper in Junpei's hand. "What's that you got there?"

"This? Something Akihiko-senpai asked me to get. Dude, this guy totally trusts me." boasted Junpei while pumping out his chest before Yukari walks over and says drowsily:

"The only reason you're doing it, is because you're the only one of us with free time."

"…Yuka-tan…you're still asleep, aren't you?"

Yukari rubs her eyes and says with a yawn, "Couldn't go to sleep last night. I had a *yawn* nightmare, about being chased by a serial killer."

"…Okay…and before you ask, it's a class roster for 2-E."

"Well, since I don't have practice, I guess I'll come with you. What about you Minato?" asked Yukari.

"I can't Yukari, I have to pi-"Minato was about to say he was going to pick up Hamuko until a thought occur to him. (Wait a second…why would Yukari go with Junpei? Unless…she's planning to murder Junpei! She'll have the perfect chance and stab him while his back is turned!) "Actually, hang on a second, let me just make a quick call." He pulls out his cell phone and calls Kenji.

"Hey Minato, what's up?" said Kenji.

"Kenji, could you pick up Hamuko for me?" said Minato hurriedly.

"What? Sure…why?" asked Kenji.

"I'm being held against my will. Yukari is dragging me to the hospital…Tatsumi Memorial, I think." explained Minato "So could you pick her up for me? Ramen will be on me."

"…Tatsumi Memorial…got it…see you later." Kenji hangs up the phone.

"Okay, we're good to go."

RUMBARUMBARUMBA

The trio takes the train to reach the hospital. For Junpei, he feels like there's a war going on and he's caught in the middle of it. It actually unnerves him that Minato and Yukari are staring at each other…and not the affectionate kind. He also remembers what Minato said about Yukari.

_Yukari is potentially a psychopath waiting to happen._

Somewhere, deep inside Junpei, he really wishes he had brought his painkillers.

TWISTWISTTWIST

"Well, we're here." said Yukari standing on the train platform after the 20 minute train ride just taking in the scenery, while Minato is keeping a close eye on Yukari, ready to pin her down in case she makes any threatening moves towards either him or Junpei. Until…

"Aniki!"

The trio turns around to see Hamuko, Kenji and Rio (wearing her karate gi) coming from another compartment.

"Hamuko? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be back at the dorm?" asked Minato.

"Well…here's the thing…" said Kenji "We…uh…"

"Don't know where your dorm is since you never told us." finished Rio "Even though we asked your sister, we have no clue where I-wa-something is."

"…why didn't you guys just called me? My cell number is in your contacts…" said Minato.

"…Wait…since when?" asked Kenji. Minato face palms himself.

"Couldn't you guys hit redial?"

"The redial function doesn't work on my phone and Rio's cell doesn't have one." explained Kenji.

Junpei and Yukari are sweat dropping a little bit. "Um, Minato? Don't tell me…" said Yukari.

"Oh yeah, you guys hadn't met yet. Kenji, Rio these two are Iori Junpei and the ps- I mean Takeba Yukari. Junpei, Yukari those two are Kenji and Rio."

Junpei however turns pale after hearing Rio's name. "Rio? As in Iwasaki Rio, the toughest girl in the school?"

"Yeah, that's me." said Rio casually.

"Um, Junpei shouldn't we hurry up and give the class roster to Akihiko-senpai?" asked Yukari.

"Wait…you know Sanada Akihiko?" asked Kenji.

"Um yeah, Aki-kun lives in the same dorm as us" said Hamuko.

"Wow really! He's like the fourth toughest guy I know." said Kenji. Everyone is silent for a moment as they soon walk up to the receptions desk, from there a nurse points them in the general direction for where they need to go.

They soon find Akihiko's room, which is right next to Minato's old room when he was unconscious. Junpei opens the door to see some guy wearing a brown trench coat with a brown beanie, with equally brown shoulder length hair. With his hands are in his pocket to complete the ensemble, he radiates an aura telling everyone suggesting you don't want to talk to him.

"Um…is Akihiko-senpai here?" asked Kenji after mustering up some courage.

The visitor only glares at Kenji.

"Hey, what are all of you guys doing here?" Everyone turns around to see Akihiko causally walking into the room.

"Oh, Akihiko-senpai! We came to visit you, but you weren't here." explained Yukari.

"Yeah, I'm only here for check-up."

After hearing that, the visitor stands up and says "That's it, huh? Well in that case I'm leaving; I don't have time for this." He walks away from the room (though his pace got noticeably faster when he passes by Rio).

"Who was that?" asked Minato.

Akihiko is about to answer before Kenji answers. "That was Aragaki Shinjiro, he's our senpai, well kind of… he hasn't been attending class lately so I don't know if he is actually still registered or not." said Kenji "He's also the second toughest guy I know."

(Second? If he's only second best, then who the hell is the toughest, in Kenji's opinion?) thought Minato.

"But why was he here?" wondered Rio.

"Shinjiro's an old friend of mine." said Akihiko carefully "He was just checking up on me."

"Was he worried about you Aki-kun?" asked Hamuko.

"Yeah, I know he was scared. Of course, he'll never show it." replied Akihiko "Hey Junpei, did you bring what I ask?"

Junpei looks a confused for a second until he remembers just why they came all the way over here, and pulls out the class roster and hands it over to the boxer with a grin. Akihiko looks through it while punching thin air.

"Um, senpai shouldn't you give your arm a rest?" asked Yukari out of concern.

"It's nothing. I've already wasted too much time." said Akihiko.

"But won't your arm get hurt?" asked Hamuko

Akihiko looks at Hamuko for a split second and says somberly "Don't worry it, it'll take more than a Sh- stampede of kids to take me down."

(Right…Kenji and Rio aren't part of SEES, so they would ask what he means by Shadow. And I suck at explaining stuff, heck it's a miracle itself that Hamuko didn't ask the one dreaded question…)

"If you say so." said Yukari

"By the way senpai, why did you chose boxing?" asked Junpei.

"You mean…why did I choose this sport?" Akihiko hesitates "I suppose…er…"

(He can't reveal too much so long as Kenji and Rio are here. Let's see if Gekkoukan's 'Golden Boy' can get out of this one.)

"It's not really the sport. I just wanted to learn how to fight." explained Akihiko "So I won't let something like that ever happen again…" he whispered the 'again' part.

"Well, if you really want to learn how to fight." said Rio "You should join the karate club. It'll teach you to be more versatile and deliver very punishing attacks."

"You know... I never really thought of learning karate. I guess it's not too late to learn a new fighting style…" said Akihiko.

"Yeah…imagine the popularity the karate club will get…" said Kenji "And Rio will finally have a sparring partner."

Akihiko flinches when he hears Rio's name. "R-Rio…? As in… Iwasaki Rio?"

"Yup, that's me." she said as she puts her hand out for a handshake "Been waiting for a match against you…"

Akihiko is silent for a moment and replies by saying "Er…on second thought, maybe I should just stick to what I know, and by the way thanks for the roster Junpei."

Before everyone leaves, Rio said something about Akihiko not having any gonads. As soon as everyone left, Akihiko mumbles something.

"Shinji…if what you said is true, then I shouldn't fight her. After all, you still have the scars to prove how dangerous she is"

TWISTTWISTTWIST

Apparently, Minato thinks it is a good idea to go explore Tartarus since nobody has anything better to do, though Mitsuru hesitant to agree.

They continue to transverse up the Tower of Demise without any problems, in fact they even managed to find another Gold Shadow which held a new bow for Yukari. In Minato's mind, this is a perfect run, their Personae could easily kill a Shadow with simple attack combo and they can still walk out unscathed. In fact it seemed as if nothing could possibly go wrong.

Except for one detail.

Upon climbing the stairs to the next floor; Minato, Junpei, and Yukari find themselves standing on a small platform, and on the other side of the platform is the next set of stairs leading up, the only problem is there are bunch of desks and chairs blocking their path.

"What the hell! Why are there desks and chairs stacked up like that?" asked Junpei.

"It's like they're making a barrier." stated Yukari. The group pause for a moment when they hear a buzzing sound coming from their headphones.

"Hello senpai…" answered Minato.

"Arisato, are you, Iori, and Takeba able to continue your exploration?" asked Mitsuru.

Junpei walks over to the desks and smirks. "Don't you worry about a thing senpai. Junpei is here to bring the house down!" He gets ready for a kick. "Heh…this is going be so easy.

_Thud!_

_Crash!_

Minato and Yukari couldn't believe their eyes. Junpei looked as though he put everything in his kick, but he failed. Not only failed but was thrown back 5 meters away from the barrier.

Frustrated, Junpei charges the desks again this time with a flying jump kick…. Only for the same thing happened to him.

_Thud!_

_Crash!_

Yukari waits for a few seconds in silence before saying, "Stupei."

"Hey don't insult me! That barrier is tougher than I thought!" shouted Junpei.

"It's just a bunch of desks and chairs; you shouldn't be having THAT much trouble." Minato agreed with Yukari, though after he finds out he is actually agreeing with Yukari, he mentally starts stabbing himself in the foot with his scythe for agreeing with the potential psychopath.

Junpei looks exasperated at his two (maybe one) of his friends' in disbelief. "Well, then why don't you guys try it to break it down?" He challenged them.

Yukari could only sigh and Minato only shrugs his shoulders.

Yukari gets herself ready as she tries to find a way to unbalance the desks. She pulls out a rubber punching glove and attaches it to her arrow.

"Um, Yuka-tan why do you-"

"Have a punching glove in my bag?" finished Yukari "Just in case, somebody tries to kill me, and I don't mean the Shadows." She said that last part while glaring at Minato.

Yukari aims at one of the legs and let's go of her punching arrow.

Like Junpei's kicks, the arrow doesn't go through the barrier. In fact, it only ricochets away, hitting the floor, a nearby lamppost, off a Shadow trying to ambush the group, and finally plants itself directly onto Minato's face.

The arrow falls and Minato doesn't look phased at all despite having a bloody nose.

"Dude! Are you alright?" asked Junpei.

Minato slowly turns around and says, "That punching glove had a hidden cestus in it."

"For real…?"

"Yup." Minato cleans out the bloody nose and whips his scythe. "Now let's see if this scythe can chop some wood." He dashes with all his might, grasping it with all his might, and giving it a mighty swing.

The bladed part couldn't make it and bounces back to Minato's forehead.

"Are you okay Minato-kun?" asked Yukari. Minato quietly stands there until he pulls out his Evoker to summon Orpheus, in his normal form.

"Well at least we won't worry about any psychotic Personae tonight." said Junpei.

"Guys, we're going to use our Personae and see if they can't break through this." said Minato as Orpheus swings his lyre to the barrier.

Obviously, the lyre only bounces back to Orpheus's head…and his head fell off from the main body, where he soon disappears into a blue mist.

"Mitsuru-senpai? I think we might be stuck on this floor for a while. We'll call you later."

_One:_

Minato and Junpei summon Nekomota and Hermes respectively. They both have their Personae to burn it with Agi. The combined searing flames rage across the barrier, enveloping the desks like the raging fires of Hell.

Only to do absolutely nothing.

"Next idea!" shouted Junpei.

_Two:_

Angel and Io were summoned by both Minato and Yukari. Both of them cast the spell Garu to try and blow away the desks, and very soon a tornado forms and the group is right in the eye of that said tornado before sending it forward towards the barrier. Unfortunately given how large the tornado is, they couldn't hear what Mitsuru is saying due to the roaring winds. In fact it was so strong Junpei was lifted off the ground and slammed right into a lamp post, and ended up holding on for dear life.

When the tornado finally died down, they couldn't believe what they're seeing.

The desks are still there, stacked perfectly on top of each other with not a chair out of place.

They were so stupefied that Junpei just fell down, right on top of a Shadow trying to sneak up on them, and instantly killing it.

_Three:_

Minato summons some sort of brain with tentacles to the situation called Omoikane. This Persona could shoot lighting out of her tentacles. Omoikane cast Zio to see if the barrier will break from electricity.

It didn't, it just made it worse.

The lightning bounces away from the barrier and ricochets all over the room, unfortunately the group is still stunned by what just happened that they're just staring the barricade in shock, until the lightning bolt bounces off another lamp post and hits Yukari right in the back, causing her to fall over and flailing around on the ground.

"Yuka-tan! Are you alright?" asked Junpei.

"I…can't…feel…my…legs…" said Yukari as she's trying to fight the shock.

"For the love of Amaterasu! Is there something that could break this barrier down?" shouted Minato

_Four:_

After healing Yukari (thanks to Junpei who happens to have the necessary medicine) Minato summons a demon-girl, Lilim.

"Minato…what are you doing?" asked Junpei.

"I'm going to see if I can't break that barrier down with the power of darkness."

"Aren't you taking this a little too far?" asked Yukari.

Minato thinks about it for a moment and dismisses Lilim.

"I suppose we can call it a night. After all our first three attempts failed ended in failure, so we're probably overlooking something." said Minato "Next time, we'll going to use ice, light, and darkness."

And with that, the group move towards the A.P on the platform with hanging their heads in defeat.

**Meanwhile, in the corner of Minato's soul, Orpheus's head is just rolling away. **

**Orpheus: Well crap, I never thought I would miss my old body as much as I do now. Better do the disclaimer.**

**Persona isn't owned by the Observer 00. If it did, they would've imported Persona 2 onto the Nintendo DS by now.**

**Orpheus: Boy I could tell they were having a lot of fun with those failed attempts. Anyway the Observer wants to know something.**

**Is it a bad idea to make Rio stronger then Akihiko, Minato, AND Shinjiro in that matter?**

**What are their strong points? What could they work to improve one?**

**What is one cliché you guys normally see in a Persona fic**

**Until next time…PLEASE SEND ME REVIEWS! Not only is the apartment running on review power, but it is my source of income too! I need a new body!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

**We are so close to fighting the Priestess Full Moon Boss. I could almost taste it. But one more filler chapter…of Social Linking, the Velvet Room, and other stuff. **

**XoreandoX: It's okay, I know what it's like to be busy. I'm taking an AP class, all Honors, and have a few projects to work with. Not to mention I'm studying medicine. I could totally sympathize with you. Also thanks about that email…but I'm not that interested. I'm actually afraid it's some sort of elaborate scam in which they hi-jack your bank account and steal what little money you have left.**

**NightmareSyndrom: Okay, how about this…Shinjiro IS physically stronger then Rio, but she delivers FAR more punishing techniques. How does that sound?**

**Lemo:…I have to assume you didn't read the whole thing. It's alright…not everyone has the time to read through more than 10 chapters…though next time, make sure you read through the most up to date one with another story.**

**AnimeCrazy88: Glad you like my little take on the barrier. To be honest…I would've kept trying until I am exhausted.**

**By the way guys…I have an AP exam on May 12, so it might seem like I'm not updating fast enough…that's why.**

Minato sometimes wonder how he gets into these kinds of situations. As of the end of school, he is sitting in the Faculty Office waiting very patiently; despite that he doesn't want to be here.

(Why?) thought Minato (Out of all the faceless people in this particular class…why me?)

Toriumi comes out with several files and hands them to Minato.

"The paper work is done." said Toriumi "Though I never expected this from you Arisato-kun."

"What?" asked Minato "I'm just trying to help out the Student Council."

"True…but I read your files…and you tend to get into trouble with the law…" she pointed out "Although, I guess when you're desperate for a job…you would lie about certain things."

"…How much of my files did you read?" asked Minato.

"Just the official documents, but somehow…I know there is more to it than that." she replied.

Minato slumps over slightly and says, "Well thanks for signing my life away again. Now I don't know how things could get worse"

Toriumi thinks about it and responds by saying "Well, I'm things will look up soon, especially once you finish your exams. You have been studying for them haven't you?"

"…Just my luck…"

RUMBARUMBARUMBA

Minato decides to go to Kendo practice and work off his frustration on his fellow kendo members. He starts off with the regular members of the club, and ends up leaving them a groaning and quivering mess on the mats before finally facing off against Kazushi.

Their practice match lasted for about 10 minutes until Minato strikes the finishing point. Kaz looks simply exhausted and looks at Minato.

"Man, you're good, just what kind of training do you do?" asked Kazushi as he pulls himself back up.

"Ones that require quick reflexes, good endurance, and knowing how to attack accurately." explained Minato.

Kazushi looks really impressed. "Wow, sounds like you have a complicated training regime."

"Actually…it's just a fancy way of saying 'learning how to avoid to getting my ass kicked'…unless it's Iwasaki."

"Huh? You don't say, well we still got some time left so, let's go for a couple more matches after all we still got that Kendo tournament in August, so let's hustle!"

"Okay, but be prepared to get your ass handed to you a couple of more times." warned Minato.

Throughout the training session, Minato feels he is little closer to Kazushi. Until…

"Ah, damn!" Kazushi falls down to the floor clutching his knee in obvious pain

"What's wrong Kaz?" asked Yuko.

"Ngh…don't worry…I'm fine."

Minato shakes his head and says "Kaz…you're gripping your knee, you are obviously not fine." Minato helps Kaz get up. "Come on; let's take the rest of the day off. I'll even treat you for some takoyaki."

"Ngh…thanks for the offer, but I think I'll just head home." said Kaz as he staggers to home.

_Crash!_

_Thou shall have our blessing when thou choosest to create a_

_Persona of the Chariot Arcana... You have established a new Social Link! It's getting dark out._

(Man, I seriously need to ask Igor about this Social Link business…before I know it; I'll be socializing with a kid who isn't Hamuko.)

RUMBARUMBARUMBA

**The next day, after school…**

"Hey, Minato…how are you feeling?" asked Yukari.

(WARNING…potential psychopath is dangerously close beginning to take evasive maneuvers now.) thought Minato. He turns around and simply says, "Hey Yukari, don't you have archery club today?"

"Oh that, well you see it got cancelled and I have really nothing better to do."

"Right…" said Minato "Well I'm going to pick up Hamuko."

"You're that worried about her?" asked Yukari.

"Well, yeah. With the murderers, sexual predators, kidnappers, potentially psychopathic people in cardigans…I just can't help but be worried about her."

"I guess…I'll never understand that since I'm just an only child."

"Yeah…so off I go." said Minato.

"You know, I think I'll go with you to pick her up." said Yukari.

"What? No I can-" started Minato but a thought just occurred to him (Wait a second…if she gets run over by kids, she'll probably won't try to pick up Hamuko. Meaning I could effectively protect her from this sociopath.) "Okay, let's go."

TWISTTWISTTWIST

Minato and Yukari are walking side by side. What Minato doesn't know is that Yukari always carries a bottle of mace. Minato could feel the uncomfortable twitching in his hand. Soon enough they arrive at the primary school.

"I'll go pick her up since Junpei told me about the stampede of kids." said Yukari.

"Knowing that, you're still going through this?" asked Minato.

"Yeah, I just want to see how horrible it really is." said Yukari.

(Perfect! Now Yukari will know the power of a thousand kids running at top speed. If I remembered correctly, Akihiko had to stay in the hospital even longer and I doubt Yukari physically tough enough to withstand this.)

Then the school bell rings, indicating it's the end of the day. The next second, a tidal wave of children are sprinting.

Yukari got hit head on by the rushing children, yet is miraculously still standing upright. Granted she is wobbling her arms but she hasn't hit the ground just yet. Not so much for Minato. He forgot that he is in the way and soon he was trampled on.

Yukari escapes the stampede with nothing more than dirt on her socks. She doesn't even take a look at Minato as she says, "That wasn't so bad. I have no clue as to why you guys keep insisting it's going to be painful."

Minato barely gets his head up as a thought occurs inside his strange mind. (She's definitely a psychopath! Children have a sixth sense about detecting them and know to avoid them at all costs, with the exception of Hamuko and maybe a few brave ones) he thought.

"Aniki! Yukari-san!" Hamuko runs by to Yukari and Minato. "Are you two alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." they both said simultaneously.

"Okay…"

"So Hamuko-chan, is there anywhere you want to go to today?" asked Yukari.

"Umm, can we go to Paulownia Mall!" said Hamuko excitingly.

"Sure, we can even make Yukari pay for the train ride." suggested Minato.

"Wait, what?"

"Well as it is, I'm practically broke. All the funding we found in Tartarus is put in the SEES' treasury." explained Minato.

"Tartarus? Is that another of your jobs aniki?" asked Hamuko.

"Oh! Um…" (Crap I forgot that Hamuko still doesn't have any idea as to what is going on.) "You…could say that…"

"…Don't you get tired aniki?" asked Hamuko.

"Er…sometimes…but I'm okay…so long as you're okay." said Minato softly "Now let's go to the mall."

RUMBARUMBARUMBA

The three of them ended up having a good time at the mall. Their first stop was at the Chagall Café where the trio tries out: Pheromone Coffee, Wake-Up Shake, and Alert Soda; Yukari, Hamuko and Minato drank their respective drinks. Minato makes sure that Hamuko is at least 2 meters away from Yukari after that. Next they headed over Mandragora to try some karaoke. Minato had to pay for that with what little money he found in Junpei's wallet (yes he stole from his pal).

Minato awkwardly sang "A Poem for Everyone's Soul", Yukari sang "Fly me to the Moon", and Hamuko sang "Signs of Love". There was a lot of praise, mostly directed to Yukari. Minato quickly escorts his sister out of here before those men have any ideas.

Soon it is getting dark. The trio soon leaves Paulownia Mall. Still, Minato keeps a good meter ahead or behind Yukari and is ready to disarm her of anything at any moment.

RUMBARUMBARUMBA

"Dude, Yuka-tan is sure sleeping soundly." whispered Junpei to Minato. Right now, they are paying attention to Ekoda, who is just boring the whole class to sleep. The teachers who would pass by felt a little bad for the students.

Minato does not dare to pull out his headphones in here. He is NOT that desperate enough to stay awake to do something that stupid, with that in mind Minato glances over to Yukari who brought her book up to hide the fact that her head is lying down.

At this point, Minato wishes he could just black-out now, since no one can really tell the difference when he's awake or when he is blacked out. And to make matters worse…it hasn't even been 15 minutes since class started, when he feels something hit his lap.

Looking down Minato discovers a piece of paper all scrunched up, after making sure Ekoda is busy with his lecture, while taking special care not to make any noise he unfolds the note. In it, he reads:

_Want to get some ramen after school? I've also invited Rio to come._

_ Also, just skip ahead. With his lectures, it'll take the next eternity just to get past his next chapter._

_-Kenji_

Minato smirks and passes the message to Junpei. Junpei groans a little, but decides to read anyway.

Anything sure beats this lecture.

TWISTTWISTTWIST

"Dude…I will not read another chapter from this textbook, at least until this quarter ends." groaned Junpei "And don't worry about Hamu-chan, I'll pick her up." said Junpei.

"Geez Junpei, you don't have to do it." said Minato.

"Actually, I really don't mind." replied Junpei "It's good to do something nice once in a while. Still I had this weirdest dream during class…"

"A dream?"

"Yeah…the dream goes like this: It's just like a normal day at school. You know, with you, me, Yuka-tan, and occasionally Kenji and Rio."

"That doesn't so bad." said Minato.

"…Hamu-chan was there too." said Junpei.

"And? Your point?" said Minato as he swipes Junpei's wallet.

"In that dream…you and Hamu-chan…are twins."

Minato just drops Junpei's wallet onto the ground. He looks at his friend and asks "You're joking right?"

"Dude I'm freaked out like you. I am just not used to thinking Hamu-chan outside of a little kid."

"How can your dream get any weirder?" asked Minato. He soon regrets that question.

"Er…Kenji has a fetish for older women…and Rio isn't in karate. Just in tennis...and more feminine"

"…What were you on when you had those dreams?"

RUMBARUMBARUMBA

Minato walks to where Kenji and Rio are. The two of them look as though they're having a pleasant conversation.

"Hey Minato, you ready to grab some ramen?" asked Kenji.

"Yeah, sure."

"Ready when you are." said Rio. Out of the blue, she asks "Er, what day is it anyway?"

"Huh? I think it's the 3rd of May." said Kenji. Rio looks shocked at Kenji's statement.

"The 3rd? Crap! You guys go without me! I'll catch up with you two later!" Rio runs off to the sports building.

"Er…should we get going?" asked Minato.

RUMBARUMBARUMBA

Minato and Kenji are eating their ramen. However, Kenji seems to be eating it quite slowly and completely lacking the enthusiasm he normally has when eating Hakagure Ramen, and sitting on the table beside them is a bowl of the house special, with no one eating from it.

Minato hates to intrude into peoples' personal life, but he has to know what is making Kenji so distracted. "Mad that Rio ditched us?" Minato guessed.

"Huh?" Kenji stops eating the noodles and says "Naw I'm not mad, really" Kenji just shrugs it off. "This just tends to happen with me, more often than not I end delivering that bowl to Rio's place." They hear the door suddenly opening very hard. They didn't even get a chance to turn their heads when Rio comes to her seat, all sweaty and still in her gi uniform.

"Sorry, I'm late you two! I had to show up practice!" she apologized.

"Ah, that's okay." said Kenji reassuringly "At least you could make it here."

"Yeah, hopefully I won't be too busy for the upcoming tournament." said Rio.

"Tournament?" asked Minato.

"Yeah, that's why I really got to practice a lot so Gekkoukan can take the regional championship and the coach is relying on me and the captain to take on the competition!"

"Okay…just let me know when it'll happen and I'll be there." said Kenji encouragingly.

(Huh…looks like Rio is really busy with her own schedule. And Kenji seems like a good friend.) thought Minato (I think…I understand a little bit of them.)

_Crack!_

_ The Kenji and Rio Social Link has reached Rank 3!_

(What in the name of Amateratsu? How come that voice couldn't be consistent?) he thought.

"Hey Kenji, maybe we should try your home-made sukiyaki." suggested Rio.

"Oh come on Rio…it's not as good as Hagakure's" said Kenji.

"Wait, you know how to cook?" asked Minato.

"Er…just noodles, like ramen, soudon noodles, and the like."

"Did you ever cause the kitchen to explode?" asked Minato.

"Nah…may have a few accidents here and there, but nothing of that sort." said Kenji.

"…Could you teach me to make some ramen with Hamuko when I have the chance?" ask Minato.

**Orpheus staggers in the Sea of Souls searching for a new apartment when he sees "Space for Rent". He jumps for joy and looks at the camera.**

**Orpheus: I still have my job! Okay…Observer 00 doesn't own the Persona series. If they did, then Persona would've been on the 3DS which they can't afford right now. This story may not update until the end of May because of AP exams…so expect that you loyal fans. Next chapter…Full Moon boss! Betcha you have been waiting for this. Also they got Marvel vs Capcom 3 and it's amazing. Although they kinda wished that Frank West and Phoenix Wright could be there. Until then…Tonda Gossa!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

**Sorry it took me so long everyone guys. I have to do AP World Civilization exam on May 12. It shouldn't be too hard…I mean…we only have to study 12000 years of history. Also my mom says my stories are nonsense and are a waste of time when she said I should be looking for scholarships and colleges. Thing is…I really don't want this story to end so abruptly. I'll make the trip if I have to.**

**Rewritten Ennui: Thanks for the advice. I'll keep that in mind. Guess this is what happens when you take Benadryl on a daily basis. Hopefully you passed your exams.**

**JRS74: Yeah I am trying the best I can with the structure.**

**AnimeCrazy88:Glad you like that part where Junpei told Minato about the dream. I figured what's normal for fanon, is very strange for this ficlet.**

**This will be the first (second if you want to be technical) Full Moon Boss.**

5/9

Minato seems to be having the worst day of his life. He is wearing his sleeping clothes over his uniform, his tie isn't fixed, his hair hasn't been combed, and he is wearing mismatched socks. The truth is that when he first becomes aware of his surroundings, he finds himself already on the express train towards Gekkoukan High. He knew full well that he must've have blacked out again at some point.

The school day was boring as hell. Minato doesn't even consider going to sleep, unlike his pal Junpei and the crazy girl, Yukari. To pass the time, he writes some lyrics from a song he listened to the other day.

_Who decided on my value? Tigers and leopards lurk in our minds also. _

Again he just skips to the boring parts and reads his textbook. At the rate he's going, he might as well graduate a semester early.

TWISTTWISTTWIST

"Uh…this sucks…I mean, once we're through with this textbook, we're basically done." said Junpei as he drags his feet. He stifles a yawn and rubs his eyes. "The worst part is that I'm already 1/3 done of this stupid textbook."

"Don't forget we have to take some notes from It." said Yukari as she stretches her arms.

"…Crap. I am SO not looking forward to this." said Minato.

"I just hope we don't have to do something crazy tonight. Not that I can't go to Tartarus tonight." said Yukari as she makes a face of exhaustion.

RUMBARUMBARUMBA

Minato decides that tonight isn't a good night to explore Tartarus. Even though nobody has any work to do (except for Junpei and even then he has it under control). Junpei is playing a video game with lots of button mashing and everyone could hear his cries.

"What's wrong Jun-kun?" asked Hamuko as she walks into Junpei's room along with Minato.

"What the-? Um, Hamu-chan…I don't think girls are allowed on this floor." said Junpei mindlessly.

"Don't worry…" Minato smiles a care-free smile "I'll cover it up. Still what are you trying to do Junpei?"

"Er…"Junpei scratches the back of his head in embarrassment and says "I'm trying to beat Woodman."

"Huh?" said Hamuko.

"Er, I'm playing a game called Rockman 2 and boy this is game is about as hard as a game can get. I keep on dying by Woodman's swirly leaves."

"Can I try Junpei?" asked Minato.

"Sure knock yourself out." Junpei tosses the controller to Minato. Minato fumbles around with it and is actually trying to get used to a foreign object of a Super Famincom controller. Junpei shows Minato how to play the game. Minato is about to fight Woodman…

…only for him to lose without damaging Woodman even once.

"Wow, dude…I don't know what to say." said Junpei as he just stares at Minato "I mean, I know some bad players but this…is just too ridiculous."

"Can I try Jun-kun?" asked Hamuko.

"Sure…but I'm warning you Hamu-chan, this game is pretty tough." said Junpei as he hands Hamuko to the controller.

After a mere 3 minutes, Hamuko defeats Woodman without taking a single hit.

The only way to describe Junpei and Minato's expressions are a mixture of disbelief, embarrassment, and a little of "what the hell".

As usual, Hamuko gets to bed by 9:00.

RUMBARUMBARUMBA

Minato is having a very strange dream. He, Junpei, and Yukari are wearing those clothes like the ones he saw in those old foreign western movies. Their Evokers were turned into old-fashioned revolvers and Junpei with a sheriff's hat, Yukari with a blindfold, and he finds himself wearing the sheriff's star. As it turns out, they were on a locomotive and had to catch an outlaw…

Minato falls out of bed when he hears the alarm going off. His first thought is (Where is the fire?). Junpei knocks on the door and shouts,

"Yo, Minato, get up! Yuka-tan said it's an emergency meeting!"

Minato hastily puts on his school uniform and meets up with the others.

RUMBARUMBARUMBA

As it turns out, Mitsuru detected a Shadow outside of Tartarus. She makes the objective clear in which Junpei only summing it up to "Lets kick some ass!" Mitusru of course also ordered Akihiko to stay behind and wait for Ikutsuki to come.

Before the group leaves, they stop at the lounge for one good reason.

Hamuko is there.

She turns around and sees her brother. "Aniki, where are you going?" she asked rather nervously.

Minato bites his lips, trying to find the right words placate his sister. After all how can Minato explain this situation to her without getting her worried? "I…have something important to do. Don't worry, I'll be fine." Minato smiles wryly "You should go back to bed."

"But-!"

"Don't worry Hamu-chan! I…er, both Yuka-tan and I got your brother's back." said Junpei reassuringly, though Minato thought he heard some doubt in his pal.

Hamuko doesn't respond immediately and only replies by saying "Okay…" She walks toward to her room in silence. Yukari is slightly disturbed by the somberness of the usually cheery girl. Junpei contemplates that little incident.

"…Hey, man. You know I was serious about having your back thing, right?" asked Junpei.

TWISTTWISTTWIST

Minato, Junpei, and Yukari are sitting around on the stairs outside of the train terminal. Junpei brings some sodas over for Minato and Yukari to help keep them awake. Minato declines, saying…

"Sorry, it would make IT a lot worse than it already is."

"Huh? What's 'it'?" asked Junpei as he puts Minato's soda in his pockets.

(Crap! I forgot Junpei doesn't know about my blackouts! Man…) Minato thinks about a good lie despite being so exhausted (Why does it have to be tonight when my blackout gets to its high point? I just hope we finish the job at hand quickly.) "Er…afraid I might crash out."

"Whatever." Junpei finishes his soda as Mitsuru comes to brief them on the mission…on a functioning motorcycle.

"Good, you're all here." she said simply "I detected a Shadow in on monorails."

"Um, senpai?" said Minato, wondering how the motorcycle she's riding on is working despite it being the Dark Hour. Unfortunately, Junpei had to block his question with a question of his own.

"On the monorails? Isn't that dangerous?"

"Don't worry. The monorails shouldn't be operational as long as the Dark Hour is in place. The same goes for any device running on electricity."

With that statement in mind, Yukari starts to wonder how Mitsuru's bike is running, but ultimately decides it's not worth it questioning.

The trio walks toward to the inactive express train. Minato pokes his head in first just to make sure there aren't any Shadows waiting to ambush them. Junpei, being the impulsive one, just steps inside without a second's thought for his own safety.

"The coast is clear guys." Minato and Yukari walk inside of it. A moment after the group enters the compartment the door closes in right behind them. Junpei, once again being the impulsive person that he is, tries to open the door with his bare hands. Unfortunately, the door doesn't budge at all despite injuring his fingers a little.

"Stand back Junpei." said Minato as he summons Ara Mitama. The symbol of anger charges into the door headfirst only to result a bounce back to Junpei.

"Gah! Get this thing off of me!" Junpei struggles against the limbless Persona.

"Is everyone okay?" asked Mitsuru over the transmitter.

"Besides the fact that Junpei is struggling with something that has no limbs and the doors are locked, everything else is just peachy." replied Minato calmly as Yukari kicks his Persona off of Junpei.

"Understood, listen The Shadow is a few cars up, it's probably controlling the train. You'll have to destroy it if you want to get out of there." said Mitsuru.

"Gotcha senpai!" The trio barge to the next compartment and take down a small squad of Shadows. Minato is careful not to use his Evoker too much since it will put a strain on his mind and opts for slicing the Shadow's equivalent of a head. Junpei tackles some Shadow (known as Muttering Tiaras) and stabs them right onto their masks. Yukari is alternating between sniping and healing with Minato taking out multiple Shadows.

Somewhere in the 7th compartment, the group spots a lone Shadow. Once the Muttering Tiara realizes their presence, it opens the door and escapes.

Junpei, with a fierce expression, cries out "HEY WHERE ARE YOU GOING! COME BACK HERE AND FIGHT!"

"Wait everyone!" Mitsuru ordered through the head piece "That Shadow was acting strange."

(Strange? It just went back for back-up!) thought Minato.

Junpei isn't satisfied with that statement. "But if we don't chase after it then it will get away!"

"Don't do something crazy! For all we know that Shadow could be leading us into a trap!" argued Yukari.

"What do you think Minato?" asked Mitsuru.

(Hmm…this is bad. Obviously the correct way would be to stick together. However, what if the Shadow wants us to stick together? We could attack separately and wait for one another to catch up. No, that is just stupid and not-)

Junpei is getting impatient with his friend's indecisiveness and shouts "Screw it! I'll just plow through this train!" He swings his heavy katana like a butcher who has to keep up with rush hour.

"Junpei! Get back here!" ordered Yukari angrily, but it is too late. Junpei has already charged on into the next compartment.

"Shit…hey Mitsuru-senpai, you mind if you give Junpei the support?" asked Minato quickly.

"Of course, but what about the two of you?"

"Yukari and I should be okay!" replied Minato with confidence. (Course when you have a semi-psychotic girl ready to lash out at anyone and somebody who has been dubbed as 'Deathsmile' it should make for a bloody good experiment.)

As expected, the Shadows leap off from the luggage holders for a preemptive strike. Minato, being used to surprises due to his various jobs, simply cuts the Shadows in half. Yukari takes out another one with a direct bull's eye into the mask.

Wasting no time, Minato and Yukari hurry over to Junpei's side, while observing the trail of slash marks and scorch marks that lie in his wake. Amazingly, there seems to be no more surprise ambushes from Shadows. While Minato has an idea as to why that is, he is currently too focused on making sure his friend is okay to ponder about anything else.

Upon reaching the 3rd compartment, Minato and Yukari see Junpei brawling it out with five Shadows at once by using Hermes and his katana. Most of the Shadows seem to be weak against fire which is perfect for Junpei since he is showing signs of fatigue. Minato brings out the cat-like Nekomata Persona to cast Agi on some sort of red and blue scale. Io casts Dia to Junpei which results Junpei losing less sweat and apparently getting his second wind. Junpei picks up the pace by killing the last Shadow.

Junpei is holding his stomach in pain as Yukari scolds him.

"You idiot, this is what happens when you just run off."

Junpei grits his teeth in frustration and replies by saying "Whatever."

"To be fair…" said Minato "Junpei DID kill all the Shadows along the way. Plus he DID have it under control for a while before we got here. So maybe we should cut him some slack."

"Seriously man?" asked Junpei who is astonished by his friend's praise.

"All you…" Minato starts to talk but his sight gets blurry and flickers in and out "…all you…need to do is look…at the trail…of destruction." Minato barely got the words out of his mouth.

"Dude, you don't look so well. Do you need to lie down a bit?" asked Junpei.

Before anyone could respond, they suddenly feel whole compartment jerk forward knocking them off balance for a moment. With each passing second, the velocity gets much fiercer and is harder to retain foothold. Over the headset, Mitsuru is saying something about the Shadow controlling the train, but Minato could barely hear it…

…For he has to fight both his blackouts and an ambush from seven different Shadows. He tries to grip his scythe only to realize his finger feels too unstable to grip it for too long. Minato's reflexes got very slow and is taking hits that he could easily dodge.

Yukari has to pull double duty in healing leaving Junpei the only reliable attack force. He and Hermes slice through the wave of Shadows with relative ease.

"Ha hah! Take that you freaks!" bellowed Junpei as he raises his katana only to see another wave of Shadows coming. "You gotta be kidding!" Junpei braces himself for another relentless battle, only for a wall of fire to trap the second wave.

Junpei looks to see it is Orpheus, playing with his lyre to cast the variation of Agi. At first, the recital is going well. But as time passes, Orpheus's musical talent is getting more out of tune, reflecting on Minato's state of mind. He could barely stand straight without feeling dizzy. He could barely hear the cry of a slain Shadow.

Mitsuru said something about a powerful Shadow, but Minato could barely stop his legs from trembling and keeping his head straight. Yukari opens the door to the next compartment…

…All Minato could hear, before the world turns black, is "What the hell is that?"

**Sorry about the delay folks, but I'm not dead yet! Wait…this spot is for Minato's Personae!**

**Nekomata: The Observer doesn't own Persona, nyah! They did acquire Pokemon White which is why they didn't update until now. **

**Ara Mitama: Now that pip squeak better not even think about trying to make another multi-chapter fiction. He's not Kisodota the Game Freak or DropletOfSour!**

**Angel descends down with a script.**

**Angel: Bad news guys…they already started. Haven't finished with the first chapter though.**

**Nekomata: I just hope it doesn't take forever like last time! In fact, didn't the Observer go into overdrive because the last review just simply said it is a good fic, nyah?**

**Ghoul: The wonders human can do with just simple encouragement. Sorry about the cliff hanger, but it seems like a good idea and XoreadoX suggested it. But we'll see you again until next chapter.**

**Jack Frost: Wait ! I have an important announcement to make!**

**Seeking another beta-reader because the Observer knows that XoreadoX is busy these days and doesn't want to overwork him. If you are interested, PMs them.**

**Also they apologize for taking so long. They recently got Fallout New Vegas and is really into the game.**


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